The Truth of Potatoes by Pamela Galloway

Poem name: The Truth of Potatoes Poet name: Pamela Galloway Poem: (after Lucille Clifton’s Sunday Dinner) They hide under soil that clings and will give them up only to the wielding of a blade. We hold their spheres turn them, feel pride. Say, we grew potatoes. Truth: we had no part. Chopped, sliced, boiled, roasted. We massacre their perfection. Take them whole, reduce them to less than. Return their grace: salt, pepper, parsley butter. End of poem. Credits and bio: Copyright © Pamela Galloway Pamela Galloway currently lives a life-of-two-places, Manchester, UK and BC, Canada which each provide rich inspiration for her poetry. Movement and connection between and inside her different landscapes are often themes in her writing. Her books are ‘Passing Stranger’ (Inanna Publications, Toronto 2014) and ‘Parallel Lines’ (Ekstasis Editions, Victoria 2006). Pamela’s poems are published in numerous magazines and anthologies. Most recently two poems were included in the anthology ‘Worth More Standing’ a timely collection of writing about trees in response to the climate emergency. Pamela’s poems are in the archive of the Parliamentary Poet Laureate of Canada.