The Message that Did Me Harm

I’ve often received weird messages,

Nothing to do with me,

They come through the cyber passages

So called, that would set you free,

But then came one with an evil turn

It scuttled on out, then hid,

Accusingly, it appeared to me

And said, ‘I know what you did!’

 

Just that, ‘I know what you did,’ it said,

And nothing much more than that,

I had no idea just what it meant

It had just popped up, in chat.

There wasn’t a name, there wasn’t a face

To tell me who it was from,

I tried at first to ignore it, but

It dropped on me like a bomb.

 

In short, my friends had received the note

And saw it addressed to me,

It seems it had gone my contacts round

And roused curiosity,

For over the next few days they all

Called in, just one by one,

Asking the same thing, overall,

‘Just what was it that you’ve done?’

 

Of course, I replied in every case

‘I really haven’t a clue,

People make accusations but

It doesn’t mean they are true.’

It was then that the evil jokes began

For some of them like to kid,

To me, it wasn’t so funny when

They asked, ‘Where’s the body hid?’

 

I snapped on back, ‘Get serious!’

I wasn’t at all impressed,

‘How would you feel if this was you,

Do you think you’d be distressed?’

For some of my so-called ‘friends’ it seems

My answer raised their ire,

For more than one called a smoking gun,

And ‘There’s no smoke without fire!’

 

I felt determined to let it go,

To ignore the joke, at least,

But then appeared on my Facebook page

The Internet Police.

They said, ‘We need to investigate,

A complaint’s been made of you,’

I sent them back, ‘It’s a veiled attack

And it certainly isn’t true.’

 

But the police came round, kicked in my door,

And started to search the place,

Acting like thugs, they tore apart

What little I had of grace.

They packed my only computer up

To cart it out to their van,

That stood outside on the pavement like

I was a wanted man.

 

‘What do you want my computer for,

I need it to use for work.’

‘You’ll get it back when we’ve checked it out

If you’re not a total jerk.

You might be a dangerous pedophile,

It’s evidence that we seek,

If not, then after we search your files

You’ll get it back next week.’

 

The neighbours were gathered around the van

With a scandal in their sights,

They knew that something was going down

That I must have been got to rights.

They pointed fingers and muttered low

In delight, this was a treat,

And for days they stared, and I despaired

When they spat at me in the street.

 

It matters not if you’re innocent,

It matters not if you cry,

Nobody listens to what you say

They mutter, ‘Deny, deny.’

Your name is suddenly tainted when

A finger points at you,

Forever you will be painted with

The words, ‘What did you do?’

 

I finally got my PC back

And it didn’t take a week,

But not a word of apology

Though I found that revenge is sweet.

They sacked the Police Commissioner

And I’m sure that it wasn’t fun,

When someone wrote on his Facebook page

‘I know just what you’ve done!’

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Barbz]

I can only imagine being taunted and harassed because of something that appeared on Facebook. Then to take it a step further to the point that it could ruin ones life or livelihood. That led me to believe that FB was no longer "Friendly Village". The best way to take suspicion away from yourself, is to point the proverbial finger, elsewhere. Well, the Police Commissioner got his due, and the victimized and his computer, are hardly through. Nice twist.....Barbz

[Marie]

Sometimes it takes just one word to start a scandal--like one tiny spark starts a fire. That's why I keep a low profile on Facebook
Actaully, that isn't quite true. When I'm in a bad mood, I start making flippant, sarcastic remarks, and that leads to trouble. But I would never try to destroy someone else, unless it's ... or that guy who ... or him ... hmm..

[Seth DeAlba]

Yes. YES. I really enjoyed this! (generic applause!)