Grapemine

By Cliff Lake

 

Grapemine

 

Poison:

The sweet perpetration.

The societal sensation.

A personal levitation.

Poison ever the chronic conflation.

 

Venom:

Some fearless flotation,

Word of mouth mutation,

Involved though no invitation,

Your involuntary integration.

 

Prattle, tattle,

What matter whose life is rattled?

Chatter, ratter,

Severed reputation on a silver platter.

Hearsay, near-say,

A small matter of peer-slay.

Defame, inflame,

The bodies lie shattered in the gossip game.

 

Scandal:

Trade in titillation,

Maybe fabrication,

Some outright creation,

Or oversimplification.

 

Rumor:

Character assassination,

Infamy without citation,

Aspersion through fixation,

Influence castration.

 

Prattle, tattle,

What matter whose life is rattled?

Chatter, ratter,

Severed reputation on a silver platter.

Hearsay, near-say,

A small matter of peer-slay.

Defame, inflame,

The bodies lie shattered in the gossip game.

 

Backstab or browbeat?

Some mouthy mistreat?

Escalation compete?

Is it deceit on repeat?

 

Prattle, tattle,

What matter whose life is rattled?

Chatter, ratter,

Severed reputation on a silver platter.

Hearsay, near-say,

A small matter of peer-slay.

Defame, inflame,

The bodies lie shattered in the gossip game.

 

Cliff Lake 5/7/2026

Copyright © Clifford Lake 2026

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