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  1. Culture
12 March 2017

“Motormouth“: A new poem by Greg Spiro

"He’d developed circular breathing / Like a sax player"

By Greg Spiro

I’ve been to a cuppla business meetings
With this guy who speaks for the other team
Kinda surreal anatomy
Where there should be ears
Two tiny electric motors
One attached
To the north lip
One to the south

With so many opinions to express
He’d developed circular breathing
Like a sax player
Like Charlie Parker did, and Roland Kirk did

He talked much of strategy
And nothing of empathy
The two dimes that were his eyes
Told us that no one was listening
Nor ever had.

Greg Spiro’s poems have appeared in Granta and Tribune.

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This article appears in the 08 Mar 2017 issue of the New Statesman, The return of al-Qaeda

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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