By Ishmael von Heidrick-Barnes
WHITE LIES
Before
we throw
the white elephant
out of our white house
we should ask ourselves
why we’ve listened to white trash
for so long?
Did we use the white noise
to whiteout
black eyes?
Did we need a white sheet
to cover the bodies
bled white
to keep our white sale
sailing out of the red?
Did we tell
ourselves white lies
so often we couldn’t tell truth
from whitewashed walls?
Were we afraid
to look beneath
white water
because we sensed
the great white shark circling inside of us?
Ishmael von Heidrick-Barnes was born and raised in San Diego, California. He attended Herbert Hoover High School and went on to study Religion and Theology at the University of San Diego. His book Intimate Geography, published by Ragged Sky Press, won the 2012 San Diego Book Award for Poetry. Ish, as he is known, has also written lyrics for German musicians Andrea Hörkens and Thomas Roderburg (Tender Art).
Latest posts by Ishmael von Heidrick-Barnes (see all)
- Word’s Out | Geo-Poetic Spaces - December 14, 2018
- Political Love Affair | Geo-Poetic Spaces - December 7, 2018
- Deer Tracks | Geo-Poetic Spaces - November 30, 2018
