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Adrian Matejka, Poet Laureate of the state of Indiana, 2018 to 2019. Reciting "Machine Containing Johnson's Friends Wrecked," a poem from his volume "The Big Smoke," 2013.

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On the projection screen behind Mr. Matejka is a video clip of several men standing around a race car while it takes off. It barrels down the raceway, pulling ahead of the other speedsters.

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A trail of exhaust follows each car as they throttle ahead toward the finish line.

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Around the turn the convertible vehicles barrel, side by side, one pulling ahead after another, their fat wheels boring into the asphalt.

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Two race cars dart ahead, inches apart, while an officiant stands at the finish line, awaiting the victor and the vanquished.

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In a flash, one racer crosses the finish line before the other, a close victory.