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  • The American Scholar

    FIVE SONNETS

    Jun 01, 2020 2 minutes
    HENRI COLE

    On Peeling Potatoes

    When I peel potatoes, I put my head down,as if I am still following orders and being loyalto my commander. I feel a connection acrosstime to others putting their heads downin fatigued thought, as if this most naturalact signified livingwith the bad spots cut out, and eludingmy maker. Instead of cobwebs, tumult,and dragons, I experience an abundanceof good things, like sunlight leaking throughtall pines in the backyard. I say to myself:This is certainly not a grunt’s knowledge—perception of a potato as my own soul—but a sturdy, middle-aged, free man’s.

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