flat earth/white people

mom used a lot of bleach
when she washed her sheets
they came out really really white

salt is white

before the dogs get to it
snow is white

clouds are sometimes gray
but the big puffy ones
are always white
i used to lie on the ground so still
i thought i could feel the earth
slowly turning under them

mom’s parents used to
sew those sheets into robes
and pointed hats
because they thought they themselves
were white
thought god was white
even told me i was half white

they learned this
from their ancestors
who never ventured this way
until the earth
had finally become round
for several centuries

guess they never got real still
under the clouds or
in front of the mirror


mary oishi
10 january 2008

note: "mom" in this poem does not refer to my biological mother