New Times,
New Thinking.

  1. Culture
  2. Poetry
20 July 2022

The NS Poem: city pastoral / summer

A new poem by Andrew McMillan.

By Andrew McMillan

and the smell of the tip coming in    strong
as the flowers in the backyard are colourful

and the dogshits     drying quicker     becoming
neater to lift from the shingle     like shells

and all things becoming easier     waking
in the morning     getting through the day

so now we’re in the loft     sealing woollen jumpers
like precious cargo of an earlier     darker age

and when you crack the velux window     like opening
a fresh tin of paint     beyond the low roofs     the city

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

skyline is shimmering like a lake I dream
of pushing you headlong into

Andrew McMillan’s poetry collections include “Pandemonium” (Jonathan Cape). He is the co-editor, with Mary Jean Chan, of “100 Queer Poems” (Vintage)

[See also: The best books for summer 2022]

Content from our partners
The Circular Economy: Green growth, jobs and resilience
Water security: is it a government priority?
Defend, deter, protect: the critical capabilities we rely on

This article appears in the 20 Jul 2022 issue of the New Statesman, The Broken Party