Five siblings inherit a blanket. They lie beneath it, together, to stay warm.
          But arms and legs stick out and the siblings squabble and tug. They do
          not realize that they would all fit if they just moved closer together.

This is the Blanket Story. Poets, artists, and musicians have responded to this tale in creative ways. All poems appear here, our ONLINE POETRY SHOWCASE. Visit our main page to find out more about the project.

Coco de Casscza

I Buy It

My eldest sister made me call—
makes everyone do everything—
the carpet installers with the hard sell.

Salesman rolled up,
walked up, talked up.
John Kinos,
used to own his own plumbing company,
high end, bathrooms to the stars.
Kate Hudson with a wrench under the can,
doing her own work,
Sharon Osbourne’s accountants get a cease and desist,
more faucets than inlets,
towel bars than towels,
showerheads, you name it,
she tried to buy the mannequin in the window.

Then one day a stray bullet slices his liver,
company van on the One-Ten,
thinks he’s dead.
Wakes up in the ICU
with a trauma psychologist
sitting by him, looking at him.
He says, “I don’t need you, doc, I’m alive."
Doc says, “How can you tell?”