Gossip.

They spread like wildfire,
on a dry, brown plain.

They spread as a bird taking flight,
wings open, wide and proud.

They spread like a wave reaching the shore,
betraying those on land, taking them captive.

They spread.
These words you whisper to eager ears.
They spread.

They spread like an outbreak of violence in sweltering heat.
Consuming all it encounters with a fiery rage.

They spread like a horrible tempest,
isolating those on ships at sea, abandoning them on islands far away.

They spread.
These words you whisper to eager ears.
They spread.
Gossip.
Rumors.
They spread.