Gossip
murmuring, swirling, following.
Behind hands,
or blatant in its visibility.
Have you heard?
Did it really?
Must be true,
not surprised, not surprised,
not surprised.
Whispers,
that bite and pinch in their cruelty
leaving marks, invisible but
indelible.
Inescapable.
Isolated, but surrounded.
Leave me alone
(please, talk to me).
Leave me alone
(please, help me).
Heard, but misunderstood.
Gossip
muttering, churning, following.
Eyes watching,
while lies are spread openly.
Have you heard?
Did it really?
Must be true,
not surprised, not surprised,
not surprised.
Whispers,
that stab and pierce in their spitefulness,
leaving cuts, deep and
lasting.
Inescapable.
© Sara Murray, 13 April 2017
Beautiful!
Thank you x
Powerful stuff, Sara. Love the way the flow echos the rhythm of whispers and gossip. Xx
Thank you Maddy x
Love that repetition of not surprised that you’ve got because that’s what gossip does isn’t it? Truth is optional, opinion is everything. Brilliant.
Thank you Cara, I was aiming for that, but wasn’t sure I’d managed it!
So powerful and I could feel the bite in the words as they flowed. The “not surprised” paints such a vivid picture of cruel gossip. Loved it. #prose4t
Thank you very much x
I love the structure of this poem. The clattering and jaggedness of words and gossip. Nice!
Thank you!
So powerful it really made me feel the nastiness in the whispers. You have a beautiful way with words #prose4t
Sad but true. And never more so than this age of fake news! #prose4T
Thank you Vai x
This brought back memories of girls at school and what they can be like. Such a powerful piece of writing. Thanks for linking to Prose for Thought x