Codex Gigas aka The Devils Bible
took 180 animal skins to make
36 inches tall 29 inches wide
nearly 9 inches thick
a lot of devil for a book
a full page picture
of Satan himself inside
maybe an advertisement
curiously, blasphemously
it contains a full edition
of the Christian Bible
how the hell did that get
in a Devil’s Bible?
and why didn’t Jesus
who could walk on water
and cast out demons
cast the Devil out of it?
nobody knows who wrote it
the unknown author
supposedly made a
pact with the Devil
when creating it
it’s alleged to be cursed
(would you expect anything
less from a Devil’s Bible?)
and will bring disaster or
illness to anyone fool
enough to possess it
(pun intended)
it’s on display online at the
Sweden National Library
been there, saw it
now I’ve got the pox
my car has been stolen
flies invaded my home
the devilish night hag sat
on my chest last night
nearly suffocated me
and I dreamed I was in hell
all of the above seemed
fitting when messing with
a cursed Devil’s Bible
so do yourself a favor and
don’t make the same mistake
as yours truly did
beware of the Devil’s Bible
don’t even look at it
it’s a damn sight worse
than a Ouija board.

Bob Boyd

P.S. It occurred to me that
someone who doesn’t know me
could think I was serious in
this poem about the effects of
seeing the Devil’s Bible.
It’s real and I did see it online,
but I was kidding about side effects.
I can’t help myself. I love to kid around.
And I believe it’s important to not
lose you ability to kid around, no
matter how old you are. I see that
as having a lightness of being.