Yesterday, I overheard a lunchtime conversation;
Two women were chatting out loud, much to their own elation.
One girlfriend shared her fashion tips; the other shared her grief,
But, then, each traveled down a path of tales beyond belief.

The tale began: “Hey, did you hear about our friend, Eileen?
Word is she locked herself inside and is nevermore seen;
I’ve heard she may have lost her mind and I am not surprised;
The woman always had the look of
trouble in her eyes.”

I could not help but hear the tale; each line had gotten louder.
I choked back anger, with my meal of freshly cooked clam chowder.
These women claimed to be her friends, but did not seem to care,
That Eileen could be sad or scared or have too much to bear.

I tried to keep my head in line, as the two ladies rambled,
They talked of how Eileen took risks and far too often gambled;
The women thought that poor Eileen had finally gone broke,
But, once I read the paper, I knew who had gotten the joke.

On the front page, a color shot of Eileen with a check;
Her wrinkled face was beaming and she was hardly a wreck.
The widow, rumored to be lost, amid her misery,
Stood on a stage and held a gift from the state lottery.

The moral of this tale is clear: Keep up with your own dealings;
Refrain from spreading baseless tales that could hurt others’ feelings.
For if you share unfounded lies about another’s strife,
You might find your heart is wishing for somebody else's life.

© 2007 – Jill Eisnaugle’s Poetry Collection