It strikes me that
we should never
be broken
or shaken
by disparaging
words;
either the accusations
are true,
and we, should, therefore,
cherish the enlightenment
and be motivated to effect
interior transformation,
or the accusations
are unfounded,
a symptom of the evil
that plagues the accuser.
When untruths are
leveled against us,
it is only the slanderer
who is made less,
deadened (somehow)
even further.