A Pervasive Pang...

Having long stood at the rim,
He had left the circle of virtue;
Beyond, all was wholly grim,
We'd been told, and I held it true.

'But, could I be mistaken,
Had he found a place more pure?'
Prickly, is a belief shaken,
So, quickly, I needed to be sure.

I sought a familiar face,
And to read the thought it hid;
I found not even a trace,
Till a sneer slowly, starkly slid.

I felt an empathetic surge,
Contempt for him, its core twang;
From silence we had to emerge,
Indulge, leverage our gossip pang.