Contagious Poison

trying for a little more structure…prompt: toxic

You speak a poison with your voice
without a thought for how it spreads.
Unlike a virus, make a choice,
a stealthy creep to other heads.

A covered mouth would save us all,
instead you choose to open wide;
each word spews forth with bitter gall
and ripples soon become a tide.

Unfocused anger, snide remarks,
an upturned mouth now flattened out.
The watch pot is stirred, the fire sparks,
once hopeful hearts now touched by doubt.

I ask the question to the light.
Why is it hard to cling to good,
so easy to lay down the fight
and let a sadness chill the mood.

Oh what we’d hold by building up,
instead of always breaking down;
medicine to an empty cup.
Can peace be catching where there’s none?

6 thoughts on “Contagious Poison

  1. Dee

    thank you – it really isn’t meant to be quite so dark, more an observation and a wish 🙂

  2. rmpWritings

    very nice. the structure made for a nice sound as I read it aloud.
    I’m curious though…did you purposely miss the last rhyme to make a point with your last line/question? in my head as I approached the last line I was expecting “found”–though not a perfect rhyme for down it had a similar sound. regardless it really flowed beautifully

    1. Dee Post author

      hmmm that would have made a better rhyme – I confess I had not thought of it. None sounded similar enough and gave the ending I wanted staying with the 8 syllables. I may take another look at it later. Thanks!

  3. Jae Rose

    I think the subject suited the tighter structure perfectly..’toxic’ words spoken with care are more frightening than those messily spewed out..it brought to mind political speech..and defintely had gravitas..Jae

    1. Dee Post author

      I was so focused on the smaller group situation I didn’t even think about politics though it certainly could be. I was kind of proud of me – I even used punctuation this time which I tend to ignore! Some people just seem to go through life tight-lipped – not just glass half empty, but eyeing the glass, suspicious of it’s lack of cleanliness or certain that whatever it contains will not be to their liking…

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