{"id":10695,"date":"2019-09-09T17:44:08","date_gmt":"2019-09-09T16:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/?p=10695"},"modified":"2019-09-26T11:33:32","modified_gmt":"2019-09-26T10:33:32","slug":"three-poems-49","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/?p=10695","title":{"rendered":"Three Poems"},"content":{"rendered":"
Men More Comfortable in a Flat Back Four<\/h5>\n

About war, they say, there is nothing new to expect
\nfrom its aftermath. It is as common to come home
\nto a performance in both song and dance of long
\nnarrative poems, as it is to come home to silence
\nand recrimination. It is the conduct of one\u2019s heir in
\nyour absence, and by equal turns, the number of
\nslaves one has been fortunate enough to retain in
\norder to make a new start in the business world,
\nthat may govern which stories must be told with
\nhonesty and faithfulness, and which must be total
\nfabrications. A man who returns from the war and
\nbecomes a notable professor of history may be
\ndisinclined to believe later revisions of a memoir
\nbecause of the suspicion that they have been sexed
\nup for reasons of political expediency, or because
\nof the suspicion that they may have been sexed up
\nfor reasons of self-aggrandisement. Two men who
\nreturn from the war and become notable professors
\nof history may construct lucrative careers writing
\npopular television documentaries for the Discovery
\nChannel, or never write a single word about their
\nexperiences.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Men Hours from Victory<\/h5>\n
About war, they say, there is nothing new to refute.
\nIt is as common to drain a swamp, as it is to
\nredirect it. It is the child\u2019s fib concerning the
\nbroken saucer, and by equal turns, the bald man\u2019s
\npoorly fitting wig, that may create the holes into
\nwhich we can throw our virtues. A man who claims
\nto be a bear may exhibit bear-like behaviours but
\nstill not be a bear (despite his protestations), or he
\nmay have enough money to persuade squirrels,
\nmice, deer, and sundry other wildlife that they too
\n are bears. Two men who claim to be bears may be
\n so frightening that nobody dares to tell them they
\n are not bears, or have once been on the roster at
\n Soldier Field and therefore, technically, they are
\n indeed bears (and bears who drink beer, no less). <\/p>\n
\n

<\/p>\n

Men on Long Drives<\/h5>\n
About war, they say, there is nothing new to drop
\nthoughtlessly in the gutter. It is as common to cry
\nat your mother\u2019s deathbed, as it is to evict her from
\nthe family home and trash her collection of
\nworthless china. It is the grand hall made of gold
\nand ebony, and by equal turns, the house made
\nfrom twigs and hair, that may invite us to the ball
\nto see in the New Year (for reasons of networking
\n\u2013 and expect to leave early). A man who hides his
\ncar and turns out all the lights to avoid his
\nneighbour\u2019s party may have designs upon a quiet
\nnight in with his laptop, or be slightly morose at
\nthis time of year and too kind to subject his mild
\ndepression on others. Two men who hide their cars
\nand turn out their lights to avoid their neighbour\u2019s
\nparty may no longer be speaking to their neighbour
\nbecause of the incident with the cricket balls at the
\nprevious party, or have forgotten what day it is.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Men More Comfortable in a Flat Back Four About war, they say, there is nothing new to expect from its aftermath. It is as common to come home to a performance in both song and dance of long narrative poems, as it is to come home to silence and recrimination. It is the conduct of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":328,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[379,380],"tags":[388],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nThree Poems - The Manchester Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/?p=10695\" \/>\n<link rel=\"next\" href=\"http:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/?p=10695&page=2\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Three Poems - The Manchester Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Men More Comfortable in a Flat Back Four About war, they say, there is nothing new to expect from its aftermath. 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