So Many Souls

at the end of the road a liar awaits,
trembling because he knows the deception.
the ease of the believing generation,
ready to have the road paved.
torches atop lion's heads on both sides,
damp surface and hazy air.
no one to plead to but other pleaders,
desperate they look in rags and bare feet.
chains locked around their necks and blood seeping,
every few feet another reaches out.
no doors to be seen as the vastness overwhelms,
so many souls.