St. Paul made it to the 2009 National Poetry Slam finals and eventually won the championship by beating New York City-Urbana in the semifinals. Neither team has forgotten, and the two happened to fall into the same first-round bout Tuesday night at the Artists Quarter, to open the 2010 National Poetry Slam. This Egg focuses on the rivalry, with apologies to Punch-Out Poetry, the new all-women’s team from Minneapolis, and the team from Baton Rouge, La., who also competed in the same round. The National Poetry Slam continues at various venues in St. Paul, culminating in Saturday’s finals at Roy Wilkins Auditorium.