The death of Charleena Lyles inspired this KUOW #NewsPoet
The news can be troubling and sometimes disturbing.
For poets it can be a source of inspiration. To help process the stories in our news feeds, we invite poets to write an original piece inspired by a KUOW story for #NewsPoet.
Today we hear from West Seattle-based poet Katy Ellis. Her poem was inspired by the death of Charleena Lyles who was shot and killed last June by Seattle Police.
"Once Again Upon A Time"
The wolf is disguised as a thirty-year-old pregnant black woman
A litter of four pups den with her in a fourth-floor apartment
Near a lake in a gallant land known by all as the Great Pacific Northwest
Immanent summer solstice pries day from night in wide, bright sheaths
This is not a fairy tale though the wolf appears in a story the next day
Transcripts of officers afraid of the woman’s shape-shifting powers
They knew she’d brandished scissors once before in her black paws
But brave they were, two grown men holstering shiny loaded guns
Surely they could take down a wild-minded wolf half their size
And when they did her cubs emerged disguised as little children Who nose their mother’s scent, imprint her permanent sleeping curse.
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Casey Martin
Reporter
Casey Martin is a general assignment reporter who has covered everything from political protests to electric scooters. He is almost always out in the field where the news happens. Casey has reported on extremism, houselessness, politics and Seattle’s nightlife.
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