Satan's Speech
A Narrative Poem with Religious Themes

Satan stepped up to the podium,
cleared his throat, and tapped the microphone
to address his legions of demons gathered
with each new, human generation
to discuss matters of military penetration.
"It is no longer necessary
to corrupt good for evil," he said.
"It's quite satisfactory to distract
the mind and heart from mission to resignation,
carried away by the slews of sedition,
soul-numbed in leisurely pursuits.
Preferable, in fact.
For who questions convenience?
Which one of your clients challenges comfort
or inspects the tools built by good intention?"

"If there's one thing we know,
dear friends, is how given the choice,
the allure of sin is stronger
than righteousness in even the nicest fellow.
But sin disguised as harmless, helpful, fun,
beguiled by necessity for modern life...
well, that's the Trojan Horse 
that turns the tides of war - 
the break we've waited eons for."

A light echo of laughter
broke out across the room.
Abaddon leaned in close to the mic,
"If you don't understand the chuckle of your neighbor,
you're far too young to understand our plight
across the ages and the countless battles
we've fought for control of the human heart.
For even the wisest sages
are penetrable in a world of distraction.
We no longer need to trade truth for lies.
Just simply plant alibis 
to embrace the easy and immediate
in favor of the important and inconvenient
until it becomes buried
beneath a pile of endless
beeps, dings, and buzzes,
and they'll forget Truth was ever there to begin with."

He grabbed the mic from the stand
and began pacing across the stage,
his powerful, intoxicating shadows
dancing across the walls,
magnified by the candlelight.
Lucifer continued,
"Could it get any easier, my friends?
Remember the centuries when
we'd have to convince them
to pluck the fruit
fully aware of their sin
and our whispers slithering out of the bush?"

"We now simply need to convince them
that the world has grown far too large
for them to make a difference,
that their lives are too busy for prayer,
and that reading is antiquated...
far easier to keep that vile book
we all abhor out of their hands
than convince them it belongs in the trash."

"Don't you know 'faith without works is dead'?"
Belial said with a smirk.
"And modern technology
keeps their restless hearts so busy,
they don't even realize they're dying inside."
A deep, wicked, bellowed laugh
amplified from the stage
and an applause rang throughout the crowd.

Justin Farley