Gossip 101

sometimes I feel like I’m sittin’ in the back of Gossip 101
a class we’re all in, that sneaky sin that grins
as we sip our coffee
the required course of human nature
where so and so and what’s his name
become the shamed so we can proudly claim the fame
of a well-told story
Once upon a time, a man in his prime of the corporate climb
left the office and never came back.
a simple water-cooler walk, they squawk, and they talk
as if they have the mystery solved.
“Haven’t you heard? A little bird
told me all about it!
He fell for the girl in sales with the pony tail
and the skirts too short, if you ask me.”
Did I ask?
“No, he carried a flask and had a drinking problem.
His secretary said he couldn’t think unless he a had a drink.
And bless her, she just couldn’t stop him.”
Speculations fly, his actions imply, e-mail replies on the sly
‘cuz absence makes the tales grow longer
Even after work, elementary PTA’s compare GPA’s
which kid will make the grade, no time for play
in the race to finish first.
Potluck dishes, compliment fishes, the wife just wishes
she brought the cup that will measure up
to the arm-folding, eyeball-rolling,
purse-slinging, diamond-ringing world of women
Don’t get me wrong
I understand the world of man
isn’t that much better
Like puppeters they joke and sneer
with labels and scarlet letters
deadbeat dads or ivy league grads, oh, that’s so sad,
then they roll away sittin’ a little higher in their shiny SUV’s.
Teacher, can I get a schedule change? This class is strange.
Information exchange like a rifle range,
and who knows who will be the next target?
Or maybe the shooter is me, as I open up my eyes and see
this mirror of truth in front of me.
But man, it’s drivin’ me insane
this stupid wash of the brain
in this honey world of gossip
where lies on lips stick to finger tips
and leave messy fingerprints that aren’t easily washed away.
so teacher, I’m walkin’ out of this class.
Cuz, I know what it takes to do my best and pass the test
So stamp it on the paper,
cuz I will proudly take my F.



Lord, thank you for teaching me the value of others and the truth of a harmful story.

"A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret."
Proverbs 11:13

"A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends."
Proverbs 16:28

"The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts."
Proverbs 18:8

"Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down."
Proverbs 26:20

"The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts."
Proverbs 26:22