BRIGHT BLUE DOT

Living in Birmingham, Alabama, and driving around with a Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker was, well let's just face it, scary. Almost every other car was a large SUV with a W bumper sticker and a hand gun in the glove box. After the election, I peeled the bumper sticker off my small car in the hopes that I would once again be allowed to merge on the highway.

Then, a parent at my school found out I wrote poetry and assumed my political affiliation and gave me THIS BUMPER STICKER. It was perfect: small, subtle. I could don my politics with some pride but not get tailgated. Unfortunately, it faded after two southern summers to become just a white square.

I will be ordering another soon, and since they come in a batch of five, I will mail the others to the first four people that e-mail me. The more bright blue dots around the better.

The parent's assumption is something to think about. I know there are conservative poets, but for the most part, does poet=liberal?