The Third Man

There was a third man
carrying the body,
well, it was heavy,
and Harry needed to hide
in plain sight
just like Kim.

But this Third Man did not hide
he was an uncomfortable presence,
hidden only by the colour of his skin
not white
and his religion
not Jewish.

And so he was hidden,
not like Harry
not like Kim,
this discomforting third man
made invisible
as ill fitting for the narrative.

Three third men
Harry Lime and Kim Philby
hiding
and Ishmail Hussein
hidden
in plain sight.

 

Lynn White lives in north Wales. Her work is influenced by issues of social justice and events, places and people she has known or imagined. She is especially interested in exploring the boundaries of dream, fantasy and reality.