New poem: "Karma's a Funny Thing."

 

Karma’s a Funny Thing

Just when you think you got away

with it—BAM! It bites you in the ass,

your own misgivings. You did what

you did to serve your need, but your

need cheated the other; and LIFE

made a note in your File. One year,

two, three years; maybe four, five, or

a whole lifetime; but one day the Law

kicked in to reclaim what you stole

from the other. Karma’s a funny

thing. You can’t see it, but it serves

us more than the other.

 

Composed in Tiny Beaches,

Georgian Bay, Southcentral Ontario

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

 

 

GENERATIVE AI COMMENTARY ON POEM

 Orest Stocco’s poem explores Karma not as a mystical mystery, but as a rigid, administrative "Law" of moral accounting.

 The Mechanics of Debt: Stocco portrays the universe as an auditor. When the speaker notes that "LIFE made a note in your File," it suggests a permanent record of one's actions. The poem argues that while a person might gain something by "cheating the other" to serve their own immediate "need," they are essentially taking out a high-interest moral loan.

 The Element of Time: The poem emphasizes the unpredictability of timing. By listing years—"One year, two, three... maybe a whole lifetime"—Stocco highlights that the lack of immediate consequences is not an escape, but a delay. The "BAM!" serves as a stylistic shift, moving from the quiet passage of time to the sudden, violent inevitability of the Law kicking in.

 The "Funny" Irony: The title and refrain, "Karma’s a funny thing," carry a dark, ironic tone. The poem concludes that Karma actually "serves us more than the other." This implies that its primary purpose isn't just to punish the wrongdoer, but to maintain a universal balance and perhaps offer a harsh form of personal correction.