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The Monster and its Mother

 This is the tale of a wise woman
Who knew not where her limits lay,
Yet sorely wished to do the world good
(Or maybe just stuff her pockets full),
But ended up as the biggest fool,
Inviting doom with open arms.

She decided she would "save" the others
From a great beast that roamed the woods.
Did she know said beast didn't care
Of humans and their petty squabbles?
Of course, she did! She was wise after all.

Yet she decided she wouldn't risk it;
She would protect her friends from the evil beast
Which was already kept out by ancient laws.

And so she did - she mocked the beast and taunted it,
Breaking laws that might have never bent,
All to protect those who might have never been harmed.
She tried to get the beast to rage
At those it didn't want to unleash its fury on.

"Why?" you ask. I'll tell you why.
What if the beast runs amok?
Was what the fool had thought,
What if it attacks out of the blue?
Who will protect humanity then?

It shall be me, she decided,
I'll stop it by getting it to start;
I'll predict how it will attack
So we can raise our own defenses
And stay safe and sound.

Alas! She was a foolish fool -
If survival really was at risk,
Why endanger other innocents too?

But that is exactly what she did.
Not a single precaution was taken.
(Even amateurs with their moss-covered tools
Work more safely than fools.)

The beast hadn't wanted to cause harm,
But who was it to deny
A fool's incessant requests?

And so, it did as she wished,
But not exactly as how she had hoped.
It broke the chains and ran free
- An invisible enemy -
Taking by surprise innocent lives
Just as the fool had feared.

But why were there no defenses in sight?
The problem had been invited,
So where was the solution she had in mind?

"But what about the laws?" you may ask;
Wouldn't the laws hold it back?
They might have, had they not been broken.
But once wrecked they would be avenged.
If woman thought she was the lawmaker,
The Ancients would show who is truly judge and jury.

Now back to the beast. It continued to claim lives in thousands,
Touching upon millions more.
Its origin was hidden, and with that it's weakness.
For isn't saving reputation more important
Than saving hapless souls?

Comments

  1. Anonymous11 June 2021 at 19:07

    The last two lines...they are amazing and for that matter, the whole poem is! You are really good with words! Keep it up :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Zoi11 June 2021 at 19:09

      Thank you for your kind and encouraging words.

      Delete
  2. NikipediaOnTheMoon11 June 2021 at 20:15

    The poem is lovely! The rhythm seems near perfect and the story is cohesive.

    However I cannot wholly identify with the message. Can we say that the gains made by people who survived other deadly diseases due to scientists working quietly before they knew that those diseases were a threat was a waste? Tuberculosis-specific antibiotics are almost all like that. Can we then claim, that those working on mRNA vaccines before Covid even existed,should not have?

    "Progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged. Let us preserve what must be preserved, perfect what can be perfected and prune practices that ought to be prohibited?" I hesitate to agree with such themes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Zoi12 June 2021 at 15:56

      Thank you for your kind words and comment.

      Delete

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