suspicious tones

whispers at the workplace
drive the pretentious mad
when the want to be talked about favorably
for really any reason at all
is overcome with a paranoia
that things might not be quite as kosher
as they were once thought to be---
suddenly a heightened sense of listening &
a day that drags on longer than the actual
minutes & hours might reveal
makes a horrible work week for the
person wanting everything to be perfect
like fresh spring peaches,
but instead finding quickly
that no one walks without a reputation
of being a complete asshole
at least
some of the time.