admindepressions – perfect templates of his huge frame – had formed on the ground he was rolling on as he strode to break free from the grip of those restraining him. The 50-year-old was behaving like a snared wild pig.
From a distance, one could hear piercing sounds of twigs breaking under the weight of the cornered giant.
Clad in his trademark loose-fitting green fatigues, the bearded cattle farmer with a furrowed brow was so devastated that were it not for his neighbours, he could have flung himself in harm’s way. He was a real danger to himself, the community and anyone unlucky to be in the direction of the barrel of his gun.
“I’m finished, I’m finished, I’m finished,” the ranger bellowed with all his strength, leaving an unimportant distance between his mouth and ears, of course exposing his browning teeth. The sight of about 700 lifeless cattle in one of his paddocks incensed him more.
All this while, his wife Sarah was weeping so uncontrollably like a barefooted toddler in a thorny bush.
She resembled a lump of mud by the roadside due to emotion which had rendered her entirely hopeless.
The couple had lost dearly and stood to lose much more as creditors were sure to move in fast to recover all they owed.
Mr Brown’s case was a typical case of the stewpot and the fire. The more people gathered around, the more the magnitude of the loss he had suffered struck his mind. The couple was gutted. In the twinkling of an eye, they had been thrown into a bottomless pit of debts. Destitution was knocking on the door and this was too hard to bear for the couple that was accustomed to sitting on the lap of luxury. Veterinary experts who were called to assess the loss quickly confirmed that the beasts had taken a poisonous weed while grazing. So noxious was the weed that efforts were taken to kill it immediately, though this was of little help to Mr Brown.
His fate had already been sealed.
Nature had turned his financial world into a nightmare. Painful as it sounds, that life can turn for the worse without warning, the case is not confined to cattle and noxious weeds. There are some people who behave worse than natural poisons. Anything not done by themselves is labelled evil and that which their hands touch is glorified even when its shoddiness cannot escape the eye.
Cursed with acid tongues and a predilection for violence, the characters are a thorn in the flesh.
Such people are worse than the notorious “Elephant ear”, that potted plant which resembles the ear of an elephant derided for its poisonous qualities.
That an elephant ear is a beautiful flower has never been questioned, but that it kills has driven fear into most people.
Gentle reader, there are some people who when you hear they spent time with your colleagues, close relatives and friends, you know for real that they spoke daggers about you. For an as yet unknown reason, information flows freely to these people who have the privilege to add poison before passing it on to the next man. Natural poisons are in effect little crosses a normal human being has to bear with for as long as he lives.
Workplaces are so full of natural poisons. These are the kind of people who make it their business to mind about that which stews in another’s pot.
Even if you apply yourself fully, these people will always raise objections with the aim of presenting you in bad light for reasons best known to them.
Natural poisons are so predatory, but at times they strike just for the sake of it. Kungouraira pfini.
Such noxious characters find nothing amiss in volunteering negative information about people they pretend to be friendly to.
“You must be careful when dealing with James. He is not a good accountant and we cannot expect him to fare any better because he cannot even budget his own bus fare.
“Young workers are not safe under him. He is just a bad influence,” you hear these people saying of their friend to the bosses.
It can be worse if you take days off.
“He broke an arm while fighting over a booty girlfriend in their hood. It is true that he is sick, but if you hear what led to that condition you’ll regret why you ever hired him in the first place,” bosses are told straight in the eye.
“His mother is a n’anga, so he went to recharge his traditional batteries. Don’t take any favours from him. Unosotwa nechimugabo mungenge ichocho,” workmates are warned even without proof.
Such noxious weeds usually poison the work environment by spreading malicious rumours about people they view as threats. They will tell you how their dreaded fellow behaves at the beerhall as though anyone’s outside work issues have a bearing on their company’s production.
Young adults seeking life partners have also fallen prey to these natural poisons.
There are countless characters who have money to splash on their friend’s girlfriend while telling her about his previous dates, double-dealings and other negative issues that are enough to hurt the unsuspecting lover.
“I wonder why such a beautiful young soul like you would fall for such a drunkard. He sponges on friends, he does not have enough clothes and is a retired thief.
“Samson was once arrested for dating a married woman in Mazowe and I am sure he is not the perfect guy for you,” I heard a certain young chap saying of his colleague.
While this sounds like a mid summer night’s dream, it is happening in the communities in which we leave.
There are some crafty people who lie that their cell phone has accidentally slipped into a rubbish bin. The moment you bend over and try to assist them retrieve it, they rush to your lover and accuse you of being a scavenger.
Natural poisons can also be found in church.
Here, they will be spreading unfounded rumours of the pastor bedding members of the choir, the pastor sharing quality time between the sheets with married women and the same man of the cloth pocketing tithing. Each time there is a project at church, these people do not offer to help in any way.
All they do is wait until there is talk of missing cash, poor workmanship and delays in completion of the project. This is when they are seen in their rightful colours, accusing whoever is involved of being a thief bent on wringing anything they can from the Lord’s flock. Natural poisons are also plenty among neighbours.
Any sign of one progressing is greeted with an anonymous call to the police questioning your source of funds.
Their ill-will is also exposed by the way they rush to link you to burglaries in the community.
“The thief is well-known. It is none other than So and So,” these characters are quick to say through they wear an innocent face in your presence.
Your neighbour can force you into situations where they end up pointing fingers at you for being unreasonable and being blind to the needs of the next man.
They can borrow you money, give it back to you while drunk and demand that you buy them beer off it.
These natural poisons are full of dirty tricks that affect the growth of the nation and weaken the bonds of friendship.
Gentle reader, natural poisons are part of everyday life, but making sure you are not one of them will make the world a better place.
Online Reporter