A Poem on Attitude: There Is a Stone for Every Goliath by Deola Adelakun

There Is a Stone for Every Goliath

As a cane for the disobedient

As a flog for the misbehaved

As a hunger for the lazy

As a staff for the cattle

As a serious beating for goats

As a red sea for Pharaoh and his chariots

As a disgrace for the proud

As a jail for law-breakers

As a whip for horses

As a 6-feet for the dead

So also there is a stone for the wicked

Like the stone for Goliath

So also a stone is available for the disobedient

Just like the one that hit Goliath’s forehead

And the giant collapsed disappointedly.

Briefs of the Poem

The poem nearly resembles the theme of wickedness but it concludes with having the right attitude and avoiding wickedness. The attitude of Goliath shows pride. He is always proud and full of himself. This is why he has overconfidence that he will defeat David.

The poet uses the expression: similes to compare what will happen to Goliath and those that puff like a Goliath. The poet says that the end of people like Goliath is a disappointment.

A cane, frog, hunger, staff, serious beating, red sea, disgrace, jail, whip, and 6-feet are compared with disobedient, misbehaved, lazy, cattle, goats, Pharaoh and his chariots, proud, law-breakers, horses, and dead. Similes are comparing two entities with the use of the word: ‘as’

The poet says and confirms that something terrible will befall the wicked. The poem is a theatrical allusion as the poet cleverly uses the event of David and Goliath in the bible to explicate what will happen to the disobedient.

The poet concludes that the consequence of the wicked is disappointment and death as Goliath in the bible died a disappointing death.

The poem opens our eyes to the reality of life that nothing last forever. If you have power today. Yours is not the best. There is someone somewhere that has more power than you. Everyone should be humble and not be full of himself/herself.