The first white lie

By Bonnie Proudfoot

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White chintz wallpaper in a wardrobe closet 
white glare of vanity lights, triple mirrors, 

bridesmaids from Buffalo lay out 
white lines on a side table, 

white souls slip out of numb bodies, 
small white slippers pinching each

white toe, what it takes to be bridled,
tiny white pearls, tierra of frozen snowdrops, 

stiff as a stack of white styrofoam cups,
ice ring around the moon, stone 

white coral broken and bleached, 
washed up on white shore, 

empty white thoughts, last winter 
snowflake, icing on the cake, blank  

piece of white paper, sign here in this 
white space. I do.

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Bonnie Proudfoot has published fiction, essays, reviews, and poetry in a variety of journals and anthologies. Her writing has been nominated for Pushcart Prizes and Best of the Net. Her debut novel, Goshen Road (Swallow Press), was named 2022 WCONA Book of the Year and was long-listed for the 2021 PEN/ Hemingway. Her first chapbook of poems, Household Gods (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions) was released in September 2022. Bonnie lives in Athens, Ohio.

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