Best White Lies Poems
My hubby just fell out of bed
He banged his elbow and his head
Now I can hear groaning
Expletives and moaning
I’m certain that he isn’t dead!
Only the first line is true – last night we watched a programme on how easily people lie but on this occasion I would call this poetic licence
10/10/18
Little nothings
Unimportant
Mere slips of the tongue
Omitted truths
Slanted or tinted
Not meant to hurt
Each one
A drop
In that ocean
Drifting them apart
AP: 2nd place 2021
Trust not the rose that blooms at dawn,
nor heed the raindrop's soothing song,
the whipped cream clouds belie the truth
of the fortune teller's black-draped booth.
Harken not the cardinal's call,
nor rest upon the gray stone wall.
The smile that hides a buried wrath
may lead you down that garden path.
The diamond stars in midnight sky
are nothing but a long-dead lie.
The ocean waves that lap the shore
tell a tale that is no more.
The twisted words of poetry
are cloaked in dark obscurity.
naked trees on ice -
silently the night has sown
a field of white lies
Telling "White Lies"
My mother got born November
thirteenth, nineteen hundred thirty five
within poverty stricken household
of Canarsie, Brooklyn, the youngest
(most mollycoddled) of four siblings,
experienced grinding poverty, no
matter maternal grandfather (Moishe
Kuritsky), a tailor he lacked drive
to support his family two parents +
remainder offspring, he helped sire
lacked positive role models, none the
less gumption taught her to strive
at tender age livid with rage to escape
caricature living poor, thus sought
employment when/wherever sheik hood
if necessary fibbed to survive
plus rash of healthy nurturing, and
absolute zero constraints, perhaps five
or thereabout years old attested
much later, suspected her papa did jive
with unspeakable improper behavior
(nobody dare discuss taboo issues),
yet intuition awoke within immoral
conclusion Harriet Kuritsky did arrive,
and perhaps resorted to stretching
the truth (fibbing a "white lie") the only
recourse available plied sweet innocence
knowing little or nothing about birds
feathering their nest, nor little about
buzzfeeding activity in beehive
naivete flirtatious coyness advantage worked,
I bet young thang did connive
and probably never did contemplate,
deliberate, generate and wrongdoing,
where mother of necessity spurred
angelic demureness strategy to contrive
securing bare necessities, hence fast
forward, when unsolicited advice given
to this sole son, or either sibling, (an older
& younger sister) tactics upbringing did deprive
ma mum of positive role models, hence
only blueprint to acquire essential needs
serendipitous series of unfortunate events
before Lemony Snicket did derive
school of hard knocks, (I do believe
formerly called Abraham Lincoln High)
rather than impugn, judge, revile, et cetera
kernels/nuggets of wisdom memory did revive
within my mind for rhyme, nor reason
blunt honesty, not always best policy
despite ten commandments
to husbands with many a wive.
I was wakened in the early morning
by the rude ringing of a bell
sounding far off in the distance
in the restlessness of my private hell.
Thunder rumbled before the rain began
I nestled deeper within a dream
sheltered by the umbrella of a lie
for things aren't always as they seem.
I heard her say, "Hello," in the soft cry
of my inner voice, my loyal protector,
my sinful guardian, the little white lie.
Without conscience, my haunting specter.
She's still here and so am I
Frustration lives inside my head,
too often the sorrowful reason I cry
from saying the things I most dread.
There are times when I feel broken
and again she whispers in my ear,
"Have no fear and rest assured
I am here to mend your fearful soul
with a little untruth, softly spoken.
Let me lead. I'll take control."
A gift of friendship I cannot pay,
no small token for being spurned.
A mortal's price for wearing a frown
replaced by the sly smile of a lie
when my world is twisted and turned
completely upside down.
There will be more bells ringing,
more thunderstorms coming my way
but I have a shield that I cowardly wield
that keeps me dry from pouring rain
and the pain I live with every day.
In my mind or resting on my shoulder,
her voice rules when I am weak.
She takes charge and becomes bolder,
a quick thinker when truth I cannot speak.
I lament over each yesterday
and the memories of my lies.
That she will leave me alone, I pray
and soon she'll whisper a final, "Goodbye."
If you think that life
Is supposedly supposed to be fair
I can only presume you may have
Taken a wrong turn and ended up
in fools heaven
As again just to me
It sounds to me like
You or whomever told you
Or lead you into believing that
Has never really actually been
Anywhere near there
But yes for definitely
This I can most honestly and truthfully say
If Frank Sinatra owned the right
To do things his way
Then this is my way
Of preserving my state of mental health
Not joining hands
And being lead blindly by the blind
And yes I take no pride nor joy
For expressing this my view point
Out loud or in a crowd
As would nothing more nor less
Than for the above mentioned
Statement of the world to be true
But due to the fact it isn't
And I see it quite patently ain't
Id much rather choose
Not to make it any further worse
By acknowledging
And predicating this
Unholy lie
that smile hides a hundred truths inside
white lies lined up like tombstones
cleaned nightly, scrubbing away the
shame spoken and guilt grinded daily,
stained with coffee and wine swallowed
to swill down today’s fake smile, yesterday’s
plastic smile, tomorrow’s practiced smile,
living as the smiling assassin to your own
sorrow when society’s smile frowns on
anything upside down before you can
even start to turn a smile that hides a
hundred truths inside white lies lined up
Little white lies,
long painful goodbyes,
middle of the night still unheard cries.
Don't walk away,
You've stolen my heart,
I feel deep in love-right from the start.
I can't feel my hands,
can't hold out for long.
It's stuck in my head,this unending song.
Little white lies,
These, that I now tell
my body to heaven-
my soul rests in hell.
It was never so simple.
These feelings inside.
The truth of it is,
I never could hide.
It is only the lonely.
Who can feel my pain.
For I need you now,
like the flowers need rain.
It was the little white lies,
that ended our love,
I've asked for forgiveness
from the greater above.
But there's never an answer,
nor from the one that I loved.
RJM 2011
Pretty hurts if I tell you what’s real
Better to keep it and make it unclear.
Ask me but I’ll fake the truth.
Don’t force things that aren’t too smooth.
Lies are good if it’s needed.
Saves trembled bonds that are impeded.
Bad but it’s for the best.
Worse turns to good if it’s for the rest.
Not all words should have said.
It may worsen things if you will just spread.
Tell white lies for the better.
Bars war for a good together.
Not all lies are dirty and bad.
Don’t let people feel lonely and sad.
Keep your lies a lie and stay it as is.
Don’t get in trouble that’ll put you on freeze.
Why must people torment one another with rumors and lies?
Making people believe their little white lies
As they tell everyone they know.
Ruining that persons’ life and their reputation as they laugh at what they have done.
People will never get along and that’s the truth.
Finding that perfect some one is like a curse to me.
Rumors start and they leave, leaving me alone in the dark once more.
How can I make people see that they don’t have to believe the things they hear?
But are these lines I speak the truth:
I promise you I will always stay true to only you.
But yet rumors and lies surface once more going after the name they seek revenge for.
Dreams of passion filled within my mind
Screams of Satanic laughter in my soul
We lost touch long ago
You lost weight I did not know
You could look so fine after all this time
Remember those days hanging out at the village pier
I shed a single tear to help numb the inner pain
Not having you in my arms was driving me insane
Days with fun with Pop rocks & bottle tops
Sneakers in the high school gym
It used to mean something to hold open the car door for your lover
A great sense of respect has taken a back seat for temporal lust
In a fast paced world in quite a bit of rush
The white lies that you told have taken root & grown
We used to make out in the back seat of my car
Danced until our hearts content down at our neighborhood bar
White lies of crazy money coming in
Now its best to hold our breath & take it all in
Yet we have come this close not to turn back now
Why turn back when your hands on the plow
Cause sugar is sweet so sweet like honey
Now its up to me to take home the money
Just holding our own after all these years
Cheap beers & the tears flowing down from our faces
Have to settle for a pair of Goodwill sneakers with those funny laces
Life is a trip so try to take it all in
Learn from your mistakes a good way to begin
Gave my heart to Jesus had to forfeit my sin
We are but mice stuck in a cage
looking for escape thinking we got it made
Be brave & hold your head up to the sky
Follow the golden rule so read your books & stay in school
But you say that's not to cool
White lies come & then they go
White lies come & then they go
Get the beats straight & increase the tempo
Telling "White Lies"
My mother got born November
thirteenth, nineteen hundred thirty five
within poverty stricken household
of Canarsie, Brooklyn, the youngest
(most mollycoddled) of four siblings,
experienced grinding poverty, no
matter maternal grandfather (Moishe
Kuritsky), a tailor he lacked drive
(and felt neutral about stitching
together gainful employment)
to support his family two parents +
remainder offspring, he helped sire
lacked positive role models, none the
less gumption taught her to strive
at tender age livid with rage to escape
caricature living poor, thus sought
employment when/wherever sheik hood
if necessary fibbed to survive
plus rash of healthy nurturing, and
absolute zero constraints, perhaps five
or thereabout years old attested
much later, suspected her papa did jive
with unspeakable improper behavior
(nobody dare discuss taboo issues),
yet intuition awoke within immoral
conclusion Harriet Kuritsky did arrive,
and perhaps resorted to stretching
the truth (fibbing a "white lie") the only
recourse available plied sweet innocence
knowing little or nothing about birds
feathering their nest, nor little about
buzzfeeding activity in beehive
naivete flirtatious coyness advantage worked,
I bet young thang did connive
and probably never did contemplate,
deliberate, generate and wrongdoing,
where mother of necessity spurred
angelic demureness strategy to contrive
securing bare necessities, hence fast
forward, when unsolicited advice given
to this sole son, or either sibling, (an older
& younger sister) tactics upbringing did deprive
ma mum of positive role models, hence
only blueprint to acquire essential needs
serendipitous series of unfortunate events
before Lemony Snicket did derive
school of hard knocks, (I do believe
formerly called Abraham Lincoln High)
rather than impugn, judge, revile, et cetera
kernels/nuggets of wisdom memory did revive
within my mind for rhyme, nor reason
blunt honesty, not always best policy
despite ten commandments
to husbands with many a wive.
Life lesson learned meant blurred line
between mendacity and truth
courtesy upbringing mommy dearest
if repeatedly drummed into me noggin
brutal honesty will bring nothing but bupkis,
or if you prefer the Yiddish spelling bobkes.
Villanelle : Who lies to defend his kind tells he no White Lies
Who lies to defend his kind tells he no white lies
Encircled by scheming vile wicked harmful people
White lie harms no one not e'en those it underlies
Tell me not authorities may at will spew lies
For the higher purpose preserve State, not people
Who lies to defend his kind tells he no white lies
Can White lies be not lies without being Black lies
Unless lies change colour from mouth to mouth at will
White lie harms no one not e'en those it underlies
Now he who embodies State on whose bed he lies
Do bodies that stewed in his bed most lies sprinkle
Who lies to defend his kind tells he no white lies
If liars all came together to stop White lies
Would Black lies undermine Truth to make lying simple
White lie harms no one not e'en those it underlies
Next time you tell a White lie make certain it dies
The death of a Black lie in the mouth you stifle
Who lies to defend his kind tells he no white lies
White lie harms no one not e'en those it underlies
© T. Wignesan, Paris, December 5, 2018
Telling a white lie
Sure is easy, am I right?
But dig further in your mind
Why must you lie?
Is the truth not good enough for you?
When you were a kid
Did you say you wore a tutu
When really, you still slept with your teddy named moo moo
It's alright if the truth isn't cool
But think about the lasting affect
Don't make yourself look like a fool
Be kind and tell them