There,

in a carefully controlled purgatory,

the guilty tells a story,

some proclaim their malefactions,

though rarely in any form

that allows for contrition or resembles

an unequivocal admission,

no real submission,

what occurs is indeed a carefully staged drama,

lost facts and omission,

sometimes a choreographed performance

without light and sound,

that allows the dark demon,

and the sinner to find common ground

where none exists.