Pitiful Poisonwood Poem

May 29, 2016

The ants bite

The snakes bite

Poisonwood bites

Africa bites.

But the Price you pay for ignorance

does not give pause for any deliverance

Don’t expect any pity

Only tragedy

There is no justice in this world

Especially for those who can't adjust to a new world

Dishonorable ethnicity

does not excuse complicity

There is only history

and “what it can teach me”

No room for excuses

Nor time to adjust to bruises

Either solo-survival or death by the tidal

Of a wave of flesh-eating ants

Or a wave of unsure “can’ts”

I can't survive

I can't thrive

I can't even speak

I can't even peek

The innocent independence was too much to seek

After American arrogance is seen can we truly achieve

the condemnation of colonization

Nature leveling out man’s transgression and barbaric aggression

The burden before balance

to reveal The Poisonwood Bible’s defiance

Something wrong with this poem?

Replies are closed for this poem.

See what makes your poem unique — its voice, energy, themes, and the literary traditions it draws from.

Comments (0)

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.