"A Poison Tree" (problematize post)

"A Poison Tree" is a poem about a person who lets bitterness and anger stay locked up inside of them instead of dealing with it.  I find this poem challenging in the way confrontation is not dealt with in society and in relationships.  The outcome of bitterness towards someone usually will be very harmful to both parties.  In the first stanza, the author is showing the contrast between telling a friend their wrath vs. holding it back.  "I was angry with my foe: I told it not my wrath did grow."  The person writing the poem is very angry with a "foe" and because they did not confront the issue, they "watered it in fears."  This person became consumed with the problem, which created a lot of anxiety that probably affected every person they came in contact with.  "And I sunned it with smiles. And with soft deceitful wiles."  This person also hid it from everyone by covering it up with lies and deceitful behavior.  It may be easy to cover up bitterness, but eventually it shines through.  Towards the end of the poem, the bitterness has grown and an apple represents it in a tree.  The foe of the author sees the apple and recognizes his/her bitterness.  By the end of the poem, the foe dies because of beholding the friend's anger towards them.  This death represents the death of the relationship because anger was not confronted in the beginning.  

I believe a lot of people in my culture have anger and resentment towards a person. “But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins,” Matthew 6:15.  My faith in Jesus gives very clear examples in the Bible how to love others. "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,” Ephesians 4:26. “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice,” Ephesians 4:21.  Anger destroys relationships and this is opposite of God’s wisdom.  Our culture must learn the ways of love and forgiveness in order to protect themselves from the evil ways of bitterness and rage.  Un-forgiveness will bring death, but acts of love with bring healing.