A Poison Tree by William Blake

Sometimes when you get mad with someone, have you ever wanted to do harm to that person? You seem to be aware of the repercussions but they are relegated to the back of your mind and there appears to be this devil who keeps egging you to do whatever it is that seems to be able to quench your anger.

Friends, when you do feel gripped by this immense and overwhelming power to do something you know you will regret later, do your very best to curb it. Take a deep breath, stall your actions, do whatever it takes to delay any action that may have very dire consequences. Do not feed your anger or it will consume you. Here’s a poem by William Blake to remind us that some actions of ours may have some irreversible effects.

A Poison Tree
by William Blake

I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe;
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I water'd it in fears,
Night & morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with my smiles
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright;
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole
When the night had veil'd the pole:
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretch'd beneath the tree