11/24/2009 - NEWS ADVISORY
City of Portland
389 Congress Street
Portland, Maine 04101
www.portlandmaine.gov
CONTACT: Nicole Clegg, 207-756-8173, 207-272-4477 (cell) nicoleclegg@portlandmaine.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 24, 2009

Police Put Pen to Paper for 2010 Poetry Calendar
Featuring more than forty poems, new police calendar dedicated to Sgt. Rick Betters

What: Wednesday, the City of Portland’s Police Department along with Art At Work will unveil the 2010 Portland Police Department Poetry Calendar, featuring works produced by Assistant Chief Joseph Loughlin, Commander Michael Sauschuck, Detectives, Senior Lead Officers, Sergeants and Patrol Officers. The 2010 calendar is the second produced as a part of Art At Work, a project established to improve municipal government and its relationship with the public through strategic arts projects with local artists and city employees.

The calendar is one of several Art At Work projects underway within the city. The calendar features work by police officers, detectives, local poets and photographers and tells the story of life and work within the Portland Police Department. The calendars are available at all local booksellers, www.amazon.com, and cost $15. Proceeds will be shared with the Sgt. Rick Betters Family Fund, established in memoriam of Sergeant Betters a Portland police officer, and Art At Work, a public/private partnership between the City of Portland and the arts nonprofit Terra Moto Incorporated. The nationally supported three year pilot project began in Portland in 2007. For more information about the calendar or the project, visit online or call 874-8681.

Who: Police Chief James Craig will be joined by officers that contributed to the calendar and Marty Pottenger, Art At Work Director. Several of the poetry participants will read their poems featured in the calendar.

“This calendar gives the officers a chance to show the public that they are more than just a badge,” stated Police Chief Craig. “They are men and women that are deeply connected to the community who share the same worries, hopes, and fears as the people of Portland. Whether a photo or poem, the creation of this artwork, has given us a chance to share our experiences on the job with the public, and this honest and open communication can only lead to a better understanding of what it means to protect and serve.”

When: Wednesday, November 25, 2009
9:00 AM

Where: Portland Police Department
109 Middle Street, Portland


Excerpt from 2010 Portland Police Poetry Calendar:

Last Call
- Senior Lead Officer Gayle Petty

As I stand in the line at the check out
After working all night….keeping you safe
You look at me like I’m something you scraped
Off the bottom of your shoe
I scream in my head, “Did you sleep okay?”

Cuz I’ve been up for two days
Court and training and family
I just need to sleep, sleep like the dead.
The dead, the dead, the dead
It swirls in my head and I’m taken back to the
Last call of the shift, the dead.

I get used to the sights, but sometimes the smells
Overwhelm, caught in my throat
In my head I’m back in my garden
The smell of the lilies, the sound of the bees
Makes me forget, for the moment.

I find him laid out in the bathroom.
Telling his family,
emotionally draining,
Waiting for the funeral home,
Held over again.

Now just running to the store for a few things,
Before I’m able to finally lay down, and maybe sleep
Or maybe be haunted by all I have seen.
And you look at me.
I know what I look like,
I know what I smell like.
Did you sleep okay?