Speakeasy

Tread gently; with your friends, be fair

Reassure them that you care

Who knows aught of their inner trials?

Being there is key – share smiles.

 

Perhaps we just don’t bear in mind

The words we speak; have we been kind?

What impulse makes us dish the dirt?

Souls may tremble, sorely hurt…

 

Glib tabloids often go too far

They zoom in on Celebs’ faux-pas

Good, hard-won reputations crash

While gossip columns rake in cash!

 

 Jests voiced in alcoholic haze

May fester and wound hearts for days;

Skilled body language may give clues

But can we fit our neighbour’s shoes?

 

Tact these days is sadly rare;

Damned gossip mills turn everywhere

Now speak-before-we-think is boss

 More fragile egos take a toss… 

(c) Poet in the woods 2023

OK, the title is a pun!