Poetry Report: For Egypt

Poetry
Written By Scott Poole

“the folds of blankets
and clothes twisted around torsos
like licorice ropes”

Poetry Report 8.17.13.jpg

May peace come to this beautiful country soon.

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The Price of Peace


In preschool, they forced us to take naps.
We would lie on the floor together
a trained squad of squirmers,
limb next to limb, foot over foot,
the folds of blankets
and clothes twisted around torsos
like licorice ropes.

No one had to tie our hands
or feet with bows of gauze
to keep us from touching.

Somehow we slept,
and some of us slept the best
of our whole lives,
trusting our caretakers
completely.

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Scott Poole

Scott Poole is the House Poet for Live Wire! Radio, a weekly public radio show taped in Portland, OR and broadcast throughout the country. He is the author of three books of poetry, The Cheap Seats, Hiding from Salesmen and, most recently, The Sliding Glass Door (2011, Colonus Publishing). He was also the founding director of Wordstock, the annual Portland, OR book festival.

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