Snoopers Probe Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

More these days are snoopers probing.
Like old maids,
Plucking hairs off chins.
And watching to peep,
On anything moving.
Up, down and across the street.

Snoopers probing.
And clucking like hens,
When fresh gossip replaces...
Stale news with latest rumors to begin.
Leaving the men worse than women,
Embellishing to 'tweak'...
Something done,
Having nothing to do with them.
As if they had been on the field of play.

Snoopers probe.
Liars deceive.
And on the receiving end?
Are those disbelieving what they hear.
But can not wait to pass that on.
With it to hope what they tell to another,
Opens wide their eyes.
Drop their jaws.
And creates such a story,
The wanting more of it told...
Becomes irresistible.

"I apologize.
I didn't realize I had taken,
So much of your time.
How thoughtless of your needs,
I have been."

-Don't worry about it.
Then what happened after the police came? -

"Are you sure?
My time is yours to take."

-Please give me more of it.
Please.-

"Well...
And I hate to repeat what others say.
Not to know if it's true or not.
But I heard and was told,
The 'cops' had to walk through...
A pile of weaves and wigs,
Snatched off the heads of the women.
Fighting over...
Now hear me clearly.
Fighting over who cooks better pancakes.
And whether or not bacon to bake it,
Has more flavor than if fried."

-Everybody knows,
Bacon baked has far more flavor.-

"Apparently they didn't.
And when the cops refused to taste the bacon,
That's when all hell broke loose.
Fists started flying all over the place.
Stopping traffic for miles around."

-Where are you going in such a hurry? -

"I gave an interview to reporters.
Who said I would be on the evening news.
And...
I only told them what I knew."

-But...
I thought you weren't there.
And you hated to repeat what someone else,
Says.
Not to know what the truth is.-

"I tried to tell that to the reporters.
But...
When I was running towards the scene,
Getting off the bus.
Talking on my 'cell'.
To a friend that lives close by.
Across the street from the 'incident'.
The reporters 'somehow',
Heard me shouting...
STOP LIEING, STOP LIEING to my friend.
As loud as I could.
They thought I had been a witness.
That's when I reluctantly got involved."

-So...
What time will you be on TV? -