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  1. Culture
15 May 2018

The NS Poem: Nostalgia

A new poem by Blake Morrison. 

By Blake Morrison

(Photo By CREDIT: CREATIVE COMMONS)

When she trembled it wasn’t one string
but the whole instrument.

Though she deserved my adoration
I lacked the will to see it through.

For her part, she approved of me,
but approval isn’t love.

We were like water-boatmen
on a pond, cool and adrift.

Eternity was the god
who allowed us little moments.

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Over time I forgot her face
and yet these things come back:

a low white moon, a silent bar,
the cry of seals along the shore.

This poem appears in Blake Morrison’s new novel “The Executor” (Chatto & Windus)

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This article appears in the 10 May 2018 issue of the New Statesman, Israel vs Iran

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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