"The Truth Is" Poem by Linda Hogan

In The Truth Is, Linda Hogan utilizes pockets as a metaphor for her Native American and white heritage. Her left pocket represents her tribe, "Chickasaw" and her right pocket represents the dominant culture, white. In the line, "It's mine/and not some thief's," I suspect that Hogan refers to the white man as thief because he took away the land from the Native Americans. She's not only part of a native culture, but also part of this white culture. She talks about her hands, "in her own empty pockets/even though she has put them in others/for love not money" as if when reaching into her individual cultures, she wouldn't get anything out of either one. It seemed that neither culture has fulfilled her need of riches or love, leaving her "empty handed."

Hogan describes herself as a tree having "grafted branches/bearing two kinds of fruit/apricots maybe and pit cherries/It's not that way," thus seeing the tree as if it were possible for one to bear one light and one dark fruit. She feels barren, unable to produce in her own cultures. She finds it "dangerous to be a woman of two countries," there seems to be a constant struggle, trying to be accepted by both of her cultural backgrounds. Her need for amnesty in the line, "We want amnesty," is a cry for relief from the inner turmoil that she experiences from the opposing cultures, both pulling her to make a choice, not accepting her mix-blood heritage. Her dreams of amnesty seemed to bring her life no true peace.

In the third stanza, she talks "about who loved who and who killed who" being nonsense. Again, she goes back in history when the white people took away the Native American's land, a conflict between the opposing cultures. She might be saying that both cultures should forget about their differences, make peace and accept her for what she is...part Native and part white.

Furthermore, in the next stanza she feels "taped together," patched and not whole. Again, Hogan is referring to her cultural backgrounds--she's not receiving any nourishment from either one. In the last stanza, the line, "The left shoe/and the right one with its white foot," Hogan utilizes shoe as another metaphor for her native and white cultures. The left shoe represents her tribe, Chickasaw and the right one represents the white dominant culture. She ends the poem, leaving no resolution for her frustration...as if her cry for relief will never be granted.

I certainly can relate Hogan's mix-blood heritage. I come from a Mexican family, which is part white (Spanish) and part Indian. But I don't identify myself with the Native Americans, they have their own culture, nor with Spanish, they have a different dialect. I may also have an ounce of German since my great, great grandfather was German. I'm not pretending to be someone who I'm not. I just have different cultural backgrounds.

In conclusion, this poem contains a certain rhythm. For example, I noticed Hogan's repetition of the i sound in the first stanza, "In my right pocket/a white hand. Don't worry. It's mine." There's also a repetition of the s sound in the fourth stanza, "It's just as well since they are masks/for the soul, and since coins and keys."