Sin never dies.
It only changes its dress—
silk for the saints, ash for the damned.
The box was never empty,
just quiet—
a silence that pulsed beneath the world,
listening, learning
the shape of every human ache.
When hope rose,
it wasn’t light that followed—
it was memory,
curling through the cracks
like smoke from an ancient fire
that never learned to fade.
Every century, someone tries to close it—
with prayer, with fire,
with the soft violence of forgetting.
But the lid breathes,
and the world inhales.
We are all keepers of that box now,
carrying it in our chests—
its hinge creaking open
every time we love too hard,
or lie too sweetly.
Sin never dies.
It waits,
polishing its reflection
in the eye of the next dreamer
who dares to lift the lid.
Photo credits: Pandora, by John William Waterhouse, Pinterest.
“Sin never dies” – Margaret White, Carrie (1976)
Michelle hosts at dVerse where she invites us to choose one of the iconic lines
from a list of horror films and write a poem. Come join us! 💛
Posted for Poetics: It doesn’t have to be scary! @dVerse Poets Pub
34 Responses
I love the way in which you took this… that box seems less dangerous to open than the original from the myth.
Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
I really like the way you approached the line and the idea that we are all keepers of that box, like a burden we must carry. Wow. This is beautifully told, Sanaa. I especially love …”It only changes its dress—silk for the saints, ash for the damned.” and “with prayer, with fire, with the soft violence of forgetting”
Thank you so much, Mish 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
(and thank you for the glorious prompt) 🥂
Nice one Sanaa, its about time Pandora’s box start creaking
Much♡love
Thank you so much, Gillena 😀 so glad the poem spoke to you 💄❤️
Much love back to you ☕
I love how you took the line and ran with it, Sanaa, and the title is a great way to start, and I also love the personification of sin only changing its dress ‘silk for the saints, ash for the damned’ and the ‘silence that pulsed beneath the world’. And those final lines!
Thank you so much, Kim 😍 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Ohhh, this is superb and haunting, Sanaa.
whoops…didn’t mean to leave my comment here…
Beautifully written 💞
❤️❤️❤️
Sanaa, you took that quote and ran with it. You sustain your focus so well through it.
Thank you so much, Lisa 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Wow. That first stanza was fire! Great poem.
Thank you so much, Maria 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Very well done!
❤️❤️❤️
Beautiful and humbling exploration of the nuances we carry within us.
Thank you so much, Dennis 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Wow. What you did with this opening line! Killer prompt, killer poem.
Thank you so much, Judy 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Sanaa, this is such a compelling write! Truly wow! 💕💕
Thank you so much, Punam 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
I love this one, Sanaa! One of your best, I think. 💙
“When hope rose,
it wasn’t light that followed—
it was memory,”
We humans are so foolish, but there is always hope.
Thank you so much, Merril 😀 so glad the poem spoke to you 💙💙
Very well done, Sanaa. I love how you took the prompt back to literature and reshaped the story into something new and different.
Thank you so much, Dwight 😀 so glad the poem and its imagery appealed to you 💄❤️
“A silence that pulsed beneath the world” — that line feels alive to me, Sanaa, like something ancient still breathing through us.
Much love,
David
Thank you so much, David 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Ohhh, this is superb and haunting, Sanaa.
Thank you so much, Jennifer 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Yes – it waits! So love this one Sanaa ❤️ wonderful
Thank you so much, Paul 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️