Lynn White's Poems

Weeping Mask

The mask weeps

diamond tears,

turning ruby like

as the blood 

flow starts.

Then black 

like coal

as decay begins

and the mask

itself

begins to crack,

to distort

and disintegrate,

to flake away,

to disappear.

As all masks will

in the end.

Until only 

the tears 

remain.

First published in Magnolia Review, January 2017

Stripping Off

They started carefully

gently teasing out small pieces

so not to damage what lay beneath.

It was seductive work

like a striptease

or a cut piece

a revelation

little by little.

Later on though,

they became blasé

tearing off longer strips

wanting a speedier exposure.

Thus the damage was done.

And one deep scar revealed 

another layer beneath.

So they began again, 

carefully at first

then scraping 

and ripping 

off strips

in their haste for exposure.

But still the wall refused

to give up its secrets.

Still the wall refused 

to reveal all.

First published in Cajun Mutt Press, June 10, 2020

Picnic

Gather round!

Who dares first will win the prize,

fly away with the sweetest bite,

the most crumbly crumb,

most fleshy fruit.

Gather round!

Wait till they look the other way.

There’s safety in numbers

and they’ll be feeling sleepy

from drinking the stuff in the bottles.

Gather round!

There’s enough to share.

No need to wait for them to go.

They’ll only leave the tiny morsels

and we’ll have to scavenge for them 

in the grass.

All together now!

Here we go!

First published in Silver Apples, Peer Pressure issue, 2019