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Scott Poole's Revisions
Scott Poole's poem "By Way of Explanation," is about finding yourself on the side of the highway, and you're not doing too well. Like most of The Sliding Glass Door, the poem is evenly zany, succinct and self-deprecating. Poole offers a glimpse inside his writing process by sharing "By Way of Explanation" in three drafts.
First Draft
Second Draft
Final Draft
I was driving up the freeway exit ramp
and a cardboard sign
in a man's hand
read: "Please help, Scott."
First, I thought
you're kind of limiting your options.
I mean how many Scotts
could there be
that might drive by?
What if your name
was Pepe
and you had raging case of altruism?
But then I thought
this man's name is Scott
and he just wants you to know
who you are giving to.
That's brilliant.
A personal touch.
This guy is a pro.
But then it occurred to me
he might be asking for help
for me, Scott.
And I thought
that's really, really nice of him.
Nobody asked him to collect help for me.
And I suddenly realized
that maybe I could use a helping hand
and I didn't even know it.
I looked up to the heavens
and thanked them
for bringing this special soul
into my dismal day
and that's
when I accidentally
ran him over with my car.
