New Times,
New Thinking.

  1. Culture
20 September 2023

The NS Poem: chorus

A new poem by Andrew McMillan.

By Andrew McMillan

now the house has two alarms      mine trilling
loudly by my ear like an excited lover
and then a second   duller      whispering up
through the floorboards from his bedroom to mine

it had been ours   that room   that sound   but now
it is another country    a new dawn
chorus    and the dog running back and forth
between us   like a messenger of peace

and hadn’t that same bell rung earlier
somewhere inside me   urging wake up   wake up

Andrew McMillan’s poetry collections include “Pandemonium” (Jonathan Cape). His debut novel, “Pity”, is due to be published in 2024

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
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how Progressive Media Investments may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

Content from our partners
No health, no growth
Tackling cancer waiting times
Kickstarting growth: will complex health issues be ignored?

Topics in this article : ,

This article appears in the 20 Sep 2023 issue of the New Statesman, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers