by Scot Siegel
When I reach for the fair-
trade chocolate bar
I cannot afford
something tugs from the periphery
and I am snagged by a reverie
with clear green eyes
and amber hair
She has an altruist’s smile
though she’s done nothing heroic
She’s just standing there
in the checkout line
working her way
through junior college
as evidenced by the yellow sticker
on the spine of Advanced Calculus ––
And when she asks me
ever so plainly
and without the pretense to which
we’ve grown wearily accustomed
in this age of exclusionary
tuition, no public option, & no jobs
for the newly-minted teachers among us:
Are you all right, Mr. Siegel? ––
All I can do is shrug. I have no answer
No credit history
I am self-employed
Scot Siegel lives in Oregon with his wife and their two daughters. He serves on the board of trustees of the Friends of William Stafford. Siegel’s first book, Some Weather (Plain View Press, 2008), was selected as one of Oregon's 150 Outstanding Oregon Poetry Books. Pudding House released Siegel’s chapbook Untitled Country in 2009. Siegel edits the online poetry journal Untitled Country Review.
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