Whispers of a Deceiver

Through vivid imagery and metaphor, this poem explores the cycle of falling for transient pleasures despite knowing their destructive end.

Oh what trust I find in the living!
My frightful fangs not still a threat
What bait it is I've got
In my body, ugly as it is!
Heaven's hospitality
I mock
Still the birds trust me
Their joy I steal
And yet they chose me
Because I have their food strapped to my hook
I'm good
Whatever I am, spare or arrow
I'm beautiful
Cold or hot, acceptable
How many would die for the rest to learn?
Even as I come forward and cry to them
I tell them I'll kill them after the lunch
They still perch on my teeth and eat my bait!

©Godwin Isiwu

Author's Note

From my perspective, I think the poem personifies a certain object which robs the birds in heaven of their safety by providing them with something of a temporal benefaction here on earth, hence mocking heaven, which on the other hand will provide a lasting satisfaction: The birds in this poem sees pleasure in those temporal things and even when the outcome always turns out disastrous and they know, they tend to still go for it. This is addiction. Here, the poet attempts to illustrate the triangular relationship between God and Humanity; Humanity and Satan; Satan and God. Intentionally falling to Satan's deceit due to the addiction to sin, God's humanity falls in their doom. Personified Satan, as the writer of the poem, mocks God and brags about his magical influence on God’s creation. Now, on a broader context Satan and God are metaphors used to describe what’s good and what’s evil; what did not build but which will destroy and what did build and will improve. Whatever evil one is addicted to and which destroys him represents the Satan in this poem alike, such things as worldliness: alcoholism, smoking, drugging, wickedness, banditry, terrorism, racism, sexual immoralities, indiscipline, corruption etc. All these vices assume the voice of a person, and talks directly to his victim whom he calls his “foolish preys,” through this poem.