Nobody's friend

My name is Gossip.
I have no respect for justice.
I maim without killing.
I break hearts and ruin lives.
I am cunning and malicious
and gather strength with age.
The more I am quoted, the more I am believed.

My victims are helpless.
They canot protect themselves against me
because I have no name and no face.
To track me down is impossible.
The harder you try, the more elusive I become.

I am nobody's friend.
Once I tarnish a reputation,
it is never the same.
I topple governments
and wreck marriages.
I ruin careers
and cause sleepless nights,
heartaches,
and indigestion.
I make innocent people cry in their pillows.
Even my name hisses.
I am called Gossip.


Before you repeat a story, ask yourself:
Is it true?
Is it harmless?
Is it necessary?


** Artwork: Gossip Mongers, from "The Capriccios" -- a series of 50 lithographs by William Gropper