POETIC JUSTICE

Never underestimate the power and influence of descent words

Pollute the Earth
and it will still continue to turn,
revolve around the Sun. 
Along with its paramour -
the Moon.

Forget the spotted owl
that nest in some remote
and ever thinning forest,
or the thawing polar ice
by the increasing greenhouse gases.

You may drink a cup of filtered water
over the choking river of Ganga.
Yet the world can bare
all the insults dumped in its lap,
by encroaching progress. 

It can rebound on its own,
self replenish, even if its left alone.

But nothing is so harmful
to Mother Nature;
to the environment;
to all its sacred inhabitants.

Even harmful than a pile of litter,
an oil spillage, a seeping sewage;
which could destroy someone's world.

A drop of toxic words ...

by NeiL ArandA  11/29/2015

Author's Note

Conservation, Golden Rule and Global Warming

Reviews

[Daisie Vergara (Dhaye)]

Very clever!
If we will look at how the first five verses were stated, the literary device used was Poetic Justice since you talked about fate of men related to their actions, like there's a reward for every virtue and a punishment for every vice. We see disasters as punishment of nature to us for not loving it.

Yet...

I see here something like an analogy of the relationship of nature to men, and the relationship of two people. It's evident in the sixth verse and the ending line. So, for me, the title refers also to what a person can do to us as a reaction to our deed. That's the Golden Rule-- "Do unto others what you want others do unto you."

Poetic Justice.. for me, the title is both a reminder and a warning that our fate will depend on our own actions. Literally, it is a language technique... but here in your piece, it is your way of saying there is "karma". If someone has been hurt by somebody's sharp words, then what will be the latter's karma?

Your book looks interesting, Neil. Keep writing.

[NeiL ArandA]

I was absolutely dumbfounded by your take on this piece. It over exceeded my expectations in regards to its precision and brevity. For me to say more is to offset its balance and harmony. Thanks Dhaye. You surprise me with this take. I appreciate your time and effort on this one.

[Rosmine D'Silva]

Beautifully composed poem...true words..we can clearly imagine through this poem what harm we people are doing to the environment and there is s need to save our mother earth..

[NeiL ArandA]

Thanks for reading this. I'ts true that we should take care of our environment. A clean and beautiful surroundings is a sign of progress that we have transcended above our way of thinking and thriving. We won't protect something that we think is secondary only to our basic needs for survival. We won't preserve something if we live only for the moment motivated by our personal greed and self vested interest to consume more than what we need at the expense of the next generation. On the Golden Rule perspective - When we stand before the Almighty Holy Creator. We won't give an account on how many trash we dumped on the rivers but how we have treated others ...

[Lydia Shutter]

Indeed, words can burn and hurt and the pain never leaves. Very powerful poetry. Lydi**

[NeiL ArandA]

Your words are right Ms Lydia. " Loose lips sink ships " Thanks for swinging by and reading this piece.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i love this piece, Neil...
reminds me of a skit George Carlin did about how we think we can destroy the earth by dumping some styrofoam cups on the ground...and how we give ourselves much too much credit...and how the world/earth was here before we were...and will survive us pretty easily...
in the end, only we will be gone...and the earth will be smiling to itself.

Mother Nature is quite strong.

[NeiL ArandA]

I do find your take very unique in the sense that you presented it in a way that the world we live in is a living and breathing planet that has been here long before humans and had endured so many catastrophic and cataclysmic disaster thrown at its face. If we hypothetically refer to meteorite impact that decimated the dinosaurs, it had survive that or the Great Flood from the Biblical point, it had survived that too and leaving a tale tell signs of its destructive power. A scarring souvenir when it carve the Great Grand Canyon. Human upon discovery of how to split atom tested so many times the destructive power of an atomic bomb and nuclear explosion in a controlled setting and actual war yet Earth still withstood all of that. I agree with your last statement.

[NeiL ArandA]

Thanks for your very informative take Jacob.

[Belle]

I just thought that your poem is based or should I say a mimicry of this voice :

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WmVLcj-XKnM

Poetic Justice, by the way if you would like to know, is a LITERARY DEVICE ,which allocates an ideal form of justice : virtue is rewarded and infamy punished, as befitting a work of poetry or drama... another title would be fitting to this poem, I am sure...

[NeiL ArandA]

Thanks for showing interest in reading this little piece of pondering. I have often wondered what India and Philippines have in common as far as not taking care of their environment. Poverty or ignorance or lack of care and concern to the surroundings they live in. Or perhaps majority of its inhabitants are still living in the poverty level that meeting their basic needs is a constant and daily struggle. I have seen how our aborigines lives off the mountain by harvesting as many trees as they can to turn them into charcoal and sell them without replacing the trees. But almost everyone from educated and uneducated throw and dump trash anywhere and everywhere. Is it lack of understanding ? The Native American Indians have a very simple way of living and lifestyle and mostly illiterate yet they lived in harmonious relationship with their environment and treating its surroundings and inhabitants as sacred, with utmost dignity and respect. They take only what they need. They are not motivated by greed. We can't say they are impoverish or living in or below poverty level but very primitive in their many ways. Yet the depths of their cultural and spiritual understanding and beliefs includes a strong reverence for animal life, the environment, and each other. Something we who lives in developing country hasn't fully grasp yet.

[NeiL ArandA]

Poetic Justice is a strong literary view that all forms of literature must convey moral lessons. Therefore, writers employ poetic justice to conform to the moral principles. For instance, if a character in a novel is pitiless and malicious in most part of the novel. His state has gone beyond improvement. Then, the principles of morality demand this character to experience a twist in his fate and be punished. Similarly, the one’s who have suffer at his hand must be rewarded and recompensed at the same time

[gabrielle]

It is always my belief that we experience various natural disasters because this is the only way wherein nature could preserve itself from our abuses. Every living thing has a method of self-defense/self-preservation. But sometimes, for some reasons, when a living thing or a person cannot defend itself/himself from the atrocities of others, the world and circumstances will conspire to put things in proper order.I love the title.

[NeiL ArandA]

Always like your cutting edge insights in every thoughts you poured in dissecting this piece Gab. I truly agree with what you stated here. Think the world or the earth we live in as our own body. If we don't take care of it and abuse it or even overwork it. Then we stuff it inside with anything but harmful stuff like eating non healthy food and drinks. Subject it to illicit drugs and other unhealthy vices. We will later suffer the consequences of our own wrong choices by not being a good and wise custodian of our own self and body. The things that we do in and to ourselves will catch up to us sooner if not later. It's the same way with the environment as you clearly stated.

[Laura Lynn]

what do you mean when you say pile of litters?

very intriguing poem...

[NeiL ArandA]

Thanks for checking this piece out Ms Laura. My answer is anything that is non biodegradable or by product of our consumption.

[NeiL ArandA]

wrappers and containers

[Laura Lynn]

thanks, makes sense, poetic!