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Legion
Hello there friend, our name is Legion
We are those same 6000 demons
Who long ago in Gerasenes
Became a man’s mental disease.
We took a normal happy child
And turned him feral, naked, wild,
Drove him to live amongst the tombs
With open sores, infected wounds,
Covered in cob-webs, dust, and ash,
Thrown to the ground to writhe and thrash
And roll around over the stones
Which covered rotten flesh and bones,
Gave him the strength to break his chains
While we were squirming in his brains.
For years that poor man lived in squalor
Where he would gibber, howl, and holler
Till one day through a storm at sea
There came some men from Galilee.
Approaching us with flashing eyes
The Lord saw through our thin disguise.
Despite our vast majority
He spoke with such authority
That, our position perilous,
We begged him not to torture us,
But rather cast us in a herd
Of pigs, I know, it seems absurd.
He sent us shrieking to the swine
Which ran down to the frothing brine
And plunging in the foaming waves
We left the mad man of the graves,
Who blinking, sanely, dressed and raised
His voice to sing the Savior’s praise.
2,000 years to convalesce,
We seek new victims to possess
Be on your guard and always pray
We don’t decide to come your way.
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M.D. Skeen works as an attorney in Denver, Colorado.
What a great poem from one of the more memorable stories in the Bible. The plural personification was an outstanding way to present this story and then to bring it into present times with a warning I felt was admirably alarming.
I really enjoyed this. It retells the story convincingly, but then the two chilling final couplets take it a step further. Very clever.
This was delightful to read.
I especially appreciate the didactic touch at the end.
Well done, Skeen!
Good retelling — very vivid descriptions!
The idea of a dramatic monologue in the voices of the demons that seized the Gadarene swine is interesting. I know that there have been other cases of a literary text speaking in the voice of the devil or demons (“The Screwtape Letters” of C.S. Lewis comes to mind, or scenes from Marlowe’s “Doctor Faustus, or Goethe’s “Faust”). There are also some older satires, where the devil speaks, but mostly as a device for the poet to lampoon political opponents.
One thing about quoting demons: you need to keep in mind not just what they might say, but what they will never say. No demon would ever say “the Lord’ or “the Savior” in reference to Christ. Nor would they ever, as in the penultimate line of this poem, give human beings the advice to “always pray.”
A rip-roaring re-telling, MD.
Demons can be inconsistent and sarcastic, saying anything that serves the purpose of damning the human beings they address. They are, after all, fallen angels aware of truth, and capable of using it to pervert potential victims they seek to possess. I very much like the Gospel story told from their point of view, concluded with their own “dare me” sort of warning. Reminds me of a good priest who tells laypersons not to make any reference to devils, even by a prayer of exorcism, for the very reason that when you call them, they come. Your poem, M. D., is therefore a daring one, but suggests the distaste one ought to have, and a grateful appreciation for the Lord capable of casting out Legion.
Thank you Dr. Salemi and Dr. Coats. Interesting to note the way the demon possessed man himself addresses Jesus in a rather reverential tone in verse 28: “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” Whether that is the afflicted man’s consciousness speaking in his own voice or Legion (perhaps with a sarcastic tone?) I suppose is subject to debate. However, I will also note that the demons clearly speak through the man’s voice when they name themselves and request to be sent into the pigs which would suggest that the man was unable to speak for himself until restored to sanity in the broad sense of the word.