Harsh words albeit seemingly unkind,
Fall as manna from an artless mind;

Honeyed words however polished and profound
Unnatural from insincere folks will sound;

Borax will burn, borax will kindle,
Sores and sickness it will dwindle;

Arsenic cools, yet shivers and chills
Mars and scars, maligns and kills;

Tutor Lord, then - my acidic tongue to deal,
Neutralise all base words never to heal!

For time alone shall be the litmus test,
When ignorance will fade to light manifest!

Rajeshwari Iyer lives in Brampton, Ontario and teaches Chemistry at the College/University level in Toronto. She is the mother of a special needs child and enjoys reading, music and travel. She has contributed poems to SAWF (South Asian Women's Forum), Magazines such as KALA, Marina, quarterly publications based in Toronto. She has also contributed to e-zines such as Poetry.com, Thinnai, and Tamilonline.