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  1. Culture
16 July 2015

“And where“: a new poem from Anthony Thwaite

And will we recognise the place when we get there. . . ?

By Anthony Thwaite

And where we go from here no one can say:
Whether far away
Or round the corner, hidden,
Perhaps sudden
Coming down like a blind,
And whatever lies behind
As dark as midnight, or as bright as day.

And will we recognise the place when we get there,
A familiar air
Smelling like fields we knew,
And see the true
Path we must follow now,
No matter how
We wondered when we landed here; or where?

Anthony Thwaite, born in 1930, has been a university teacher, a radio producer and a literary editor of the New Statesman. He is one of Philip Larkin’s literary executors and editors. His most recent volume of poetry is Going Out (Enitharmon Press, £9.99).

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Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
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