Muse for Monday

MantraHave you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall? You could sit back and listen to what is said without it being framed for you. The unfiltered version would pass before you to judge on its own merits. You could see the difference in the frame designed for you and the one offered to others. What would you hear?

You are not included in this conversation. You are merely an observer. The conversation continues as though you were nowhere around. You are not seen a pertinent party. You are as harmless a witness as a fly on the wall.

It is probably best. The facts are not tempered so you will find them palatable. They are raw. They are not sugarcoated in your favorite flavor. They are covered in syrup for someone else. If you were a fly on the wall, what would you say?

A fly on the wall…

Gossip

A fly on the wall.
She’s watching us close.
Her antennae twitch
Both this way and that.

Those segmented eyes
Glitter in the light,
Kaleidoscope view
Of our little chat.

From demitasse cups…

When we pause to sip
From demitasse cups
She flies off and up
Circling around.

Invisible flight
Only to light back
Just above her spot
And quickly walk down.

She preens herself while
Over petits fours,
We giggle and smile
At gaffes and blunders

And humorous japes
We saw, did and heard
Since we were last here.
She idly wonders

What we find so droll
About tripping and cats,
Puppies and burning
Our dinners pitch black.

Over petits fours…

We gather the dishes,
Leftovers and cups.
She flies for a crumb
Before we get back.

We say our farewells
And promise again
To meet just for fun
And gossip next week.

The door then slams closed,
Blown shut by the wind,
Smashing three fingers.
“And this for your cheek

At talking of those
Who couldn’t be here
To defend against
The distasteful tales

You come here to tell.
Truth on holiday.
You’re no better with
Eyes covered with scales.

Wake up and notice
Your intent revealed.
Others brought so small
Cannot make you grow

Into the fine lady
You pretend to be.”
A fly on the wall
Surely ought to know.

040420122354

Have you ever seen a gossip get precisely what they deserve? When were you a fly on the wall? Did you ever tell the person you heard what was said?


© Red Dwyer 2012
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23 Comments

  1. We have a sweet little old lady who lives near me and she’s the nastiest viper-tongued individual you could ever care to meet! 🙁

    She accuses everyone of everything you can think of, breaks up friendships with her poison and does so with great pleasure.

    Needless to say, once caught out she lost a lot of friends, but only after the damage was done…

    My neighbour Bob is even worse: He spouts filth for profit and is well known for his money making ways as a ‘lying grass’ who sold me to the press and media for everything he could think of and even attacked me in my home while my cowardly friend Darren sat on the couch with his fingers jammed in his ears and his eyes tight shut saying afterwards that he had seen and heard nothing…

    Love and hugs!

    Prenin.
    prenin recently posted..Sunday – James shows up looking for Chris…My Profile

    Reply
    • Surely one would find out the truth before losing a friendship Ian, otherwise that is just playing into the hands of the nasty viper tongued individual is it not? 🙁

      Androgoth

      Reply
      • Yeah, but she convinced Diane I’d accused her of being a Heroin addict and although the truth came out, it was too late as Diane died of lung cancer before we could patch up our friendship…

        God Bless!

        Prenin.
        prenin recently posted..Sunday – James shows up looking for Chris…My Profile

        Reply
      • Red

         /  April 9, 2012

        I agree. “Friends” who listen to others to make judgments without first going to the horse’s mouth are not much friends in the first instance.

        Reply
    • Red

       /  April 9, 2012

      Never have been able to get close to a gossip. And with as much as people share with me, I would be hard pressed to drag myself to spill it all. For me, trust is far more important than the short-lived limelight of the storyteller. {HUGZ} Red.

      Reply
  2. I know one thing if people like to gossip and add their little snippets to the story to enhance it and receive a chatterbox award then they really should have excellent photographic memories of what they actually said.

    I have shot down a few people for telling porkies, but as for the fly on the wall scenario, all I can say is that if I heard something that was said in a lie then I would certainly confront them.

    However such mindless chatter is of no real consequence to me unless it fits in with what I have already mentioned…

    I like your poem Red,
    it is very nicely written 🙂

    Androgoth XXx

    Reply
    • Red

       /  April 9, 2012

      I have had many chances to call down those whose wagging tongues were sharpened to cut others. I despise liars even more than gossips. It takes the listener for a ride on someone else’s ticket. Never fair.

      Reply
  3. Kind of like when someone sends an email the wrong person (to the person the email was about). Yeah, it’s very enlightening.
    Red Tash recently posted..PhotoMy Profile

    Reply
    • Red

       /  April 9, 2012

      I have gotten four or twelve of those myself! Good to see you tonight, Red.

      Reply
  4. I have been privy to a conversation carried on through the phone when the person on the other end thought they hung up..and didn’t.. I feel dishonest for listening but it was about me and I got an earful… needless to say the next time and every time after that my phone rang … from that number, there was nobody home. It was an eye opener for me that someone I cared about was a liar… a fake and not worth my care anymore. still hurtful though. It has given me pause and brought about a feeling of mistrust sometimes when someone tells me something good ..but I try not to let it ruin my faith in humans as overall good … I think the gossipers must be aliens, here to cause discord and malcontents out to bring down the human race… What ? It could happen…. 🙂
    Lizzie Cracked recently posted..Three Superheros, Mid-Afternoon Mental MomentMy Profile

    Reply
    • Red

       /  April 10, 2012

      I do not believe that is far from the truth, Lizzie. It is hard not to lose faith in everyone when someone you trust breaks the faith. The healthy dose of skepticism which follows tempers everything after it. Makes me wish there was a way to fast forward just far enough into a relationship to see those things with clarity. But then again, that would be cheating 😉

      Reply
  5. Bear

     /  April 10, 2012

    I always say, Don’t say something about someone you wouldn’t say to their face.

    Reply
  6. I find it most awkward to end up in one of those conversations and defending the absent person.
    The problem then is, is it gossip to tell the absent one that they were gossipped about?
    And is that justified gossip?
    And how the hell do you spell the past tense of “gossip”?
    (ok, that last one isn;t part of what goes through my head)
    (Usually)
    (Probably will now though)
    (damn)
    el Guapo recently posted..Program Notes and TrifextraMy Profile

    Reply
    • Red

       /  April 10, 2012

      No. No, because the last answer was no. And “gossiped”, even though it breaks all the rules.

      Reply
  7. Gossip is an ugly thing. You can never be sure what is true or shall we say stretched for a juicier tale. Yes, sometimes an unfortunate might overhear unintentionally about themselves. Is this a good thing? Well, a fly on the wall won’t see red or feel hurt especially if little or no truth exists.

    Reply
    • Red

       /  April 10, 2012

      I have always been grateful to hear the gossip about me. Then again, I subscribe to the theory, if they are talking about me, they are giving someone else a break. Gossip always reveals the teller, and never the one about whom the gossip is passed.

      Good to see you tonight, Tess.

      Reply
  8. Never mind the gossip, I want those petits fours! They look delicious!
    Binky recently posted..Disadvantaged YouthMy Profile

    Reply
  9. I’ve never been a big fan of too much gossip… makes me really uncomfortable. I know everyone says that, but it’s true! I especially hate walking-in on a conversation fly-on-the-wall style…
    SO AWKWARD!
    Of course, there are some ‘historical conversations’ I wouldn’t have minded catching first hand, though… if I’m being completely honest!
    🙂
    spilledinkguy recently posted..Better Living Through Reese’s Peanut Butter CupsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Red

       /  April 11, 2012

      That is the one place I would love to be a fly on the wall. Being able to watch history unfold is interesting. I like being a fly on the wall for children’s conversations for the same reason.

      Reply
  10. What an enjoyable morning reading through some of your works,a pleasure to visit, not sure if this comment will register as its a bit different format than the one I am used to
    Cheers
    Aussie Ian aka Emu
    aussieian2011 recently posted..The Pearl Within My OysterMy Profile

    Reply
    • Red

       /  April 11, 2012

      Aye, it did. Here on M3, we have departed from some of the usual WP foolishness. I am glad you found some things to enjoy. Follow the tabs on the lower menu bar if you find a feature you particularly enjoy, as they are grouped together.

      Reply

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