greybeta | Love is like poison

I decided to try my hand at a facetious article for my college newspaper that's due tomorrow at noon (but I can turn it in late, which my editor won't like but he'll have to accept it that way). I'm not so sure how it turned out...but I did get a nice assist from my mysterious suitemate,

wldntulk2knwwho. As always, comments are welcome.

Love is like poison
Daniel Tu

In the history of mankind, love has been compared to numerous things. Love has been a box of chocolates, love has been a game, and love has been a tear rolling down someone’s cheeks. It has been the subject of both tragedy and comedy alike, ranging from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to the same famed playwright’s Much Ado about Nothing. Love consumes us; a fire seeking to devour us whole. But of all comparisons, I believe love is most analogous to poison. Think about it. Many poisons can be commonly found in our homes, our schools, or our workplaces. It can be the air we breathe or the water we drink. Wherever we look, we can find it.

When we think of poison, we think of something that can hurt us greatly. Indeed, poison can inflict great damage upon our hearts and minds. It can make our heart stop or our heads hurt with a sharp pain. We can be left breathless as a result of its tremendous effects. Once introduced into our bodies, poison inevitably spreads throughout our entire body. It starts off as a tiny amount in our bloodstream before reaching our vital areas and shutting down the very mechanism that sustains us. Various people have various reactions to this unfamiliar agent inside their bodies. Some become so weakened that they wish only to escape their pain. Others seem to be barely affected by their status. Still others find a life-changing insight from what ails them. Taking into consideration these physical and mental effects, the similarity between love and poison becomes more pronounced.

Just as many books put love in a scientific context, many books detail the composition and effects of poison. Technical books explain the chemical bonds and arrangements of molecules, elucidating ancient mysterious thanks to science. Poison causes our brain to act in a certain way; love causes the brain to emit certain impulses. Experts dissect the intricacies of their countless interactions. Some might argue that some poisons, taken in moderation, can have positive effects on the human persona. One may find venom where another may find medicine.

Of course, poison requires an antidote. Yet there exists no panacea that can cure all poisons, for a specific poison needs a specific antidote. It is said that only poison can treat poison. In much the same way, only love can treat love. And not just any love, for it must be the love from someone we hold dear to our hearts that can save us. Perhaps it is when our own love is not reciprocated that it becomes the poison inside us.

Valentine’s Day, while it may be the medicine some seek to cure their ailing hearts, may be more so a poison to those whose negative experiences have cast a dark pall over their soul. Some hear romantic love songs while others hear nothing but dreadful dirges. Sweethearts give each other delicious chocolates while others feed their sorrows with that dark luscious cyanide-in-a-box. The only question you must answer is what does Valentine’s Day mean for you? Is it a day of smiles and sunshine or of darkness and despair? Either way, may much poison be spread on this fateful day.