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  1. Culture
18 August 2021

The NS Poem: Riches

A new poem by Mat Riches. 

By Mat Riches

It was the sort of wedge
that would choke a horse: two grand
in used fifties in a jiffy bag,
their waist pinched by elastic bands.

You asked me to count the lot,
then drove away to meet a man
who knew a man, and returned late
in a lime green Ford Cortina.

I thought we were made of money
when you let me sit in your lap
and we reverse parked it, my feet
pressing on your feet in the dark.

Mat Riches’s debut pamphlet is due from Red Squirrel Press in 2023.

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This article appears in the 18 Aug 2021 issue of the New Statesman, The Great Betrayal

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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