Avalanche

©David Challoner

In the car park, 

rain spattering the windscreen,

grey walls topped with slate 

enclosing what it's possible to see, 

space shifts. 

Boundaries of opportunity draw in 

with dizzying unexpectedness

making her sick to her stomach.

The light of unsought prescience flames,

beacon-like, in her mind

branding the moment  

a tattoo on her soul.

Trust shatters,

its explosion littering the future 

with shards of deceit.

A short exchange

unequal and uneven;

words thrown prematurely on the table,

rejected, snatched up,

reworked in defiance of dissent, 

once released, provoke an avalanche, 

distorted phrases gaining ground

in minds and hearts, 
in print, on social media,  

drowning honest narrative.

Illusions served, 

reputations flayed, 

veracity concealed, 

the high-speed, anonymous 

maelstrom wreaks havoc.

In the car park,

the rain turns to sleet

and she knows without yet knowing

the creeping, wintry fingers

of misrepresentation.

©Janet Henderson 14th January 2016

A reflection on misrepresentation, the speed at which untruth is disseminated, the breadth of its reach and its lasting impact on a person's life.