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

mentally ill

made invisible

ill fitting for the narrative.


Three third men

Harry Lime and Kim Philby

hiding

and Ishmail Hussein

hidden

in plain sight.



https://oddballmagazine.com/poem-by-lynn-white-26/

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