J. Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur's "Letters from an American Farmer"

poles

ˈpōl 
Noun
1
a
a long slender usually cylindrical object (such as a length of wood)
b
a shaft which extends from the front axle of a wagon between wheelhorses and by which the wagon is drawn TONGUE
c
a long staff of wood, metal, or fiberglass used in the pole vault
2
a varying unit of length
especially one equal to a rod (16¹/₂ feet or about 5 meters)
3
a tree with a breast-high diameter of from 4 to 12 inches (10 to 30 centimeters)
4
the inside front row position on the starting line for a race

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