He was a firecracker whose tongue made things blaze.
His words lit us with laughter, melted cold airs,
a flame in a city famed for rain.
His head was as hot as his scorched hair,
as fiery too: his temper strained us –
the twist of a damp kitchen cloth to wring
dirty water from our love.
A letter, opened, in twitching white hands,
led to a joke, about scousers,
which was fanned aside.
He would have to move
to a city by the sea where
icy flecks from the docks
will turn his sugared jokes into salt.
He moved, his temper cooled, but so did he.
Flushed with fags the once proud Manc
lost the cotton mill roar in his voice,
extinguished by his distance from the city.
Paul Lee-Woolf
More Coverage
‘Solidarity with Palestine’ Students’ Union motion faces backlash from University of Manchester as voting gets delayed
A Manchester Students’ Union motion is currently facing anger online after amendments were voted down
Students’ Union holds Union Assembly to debate ‘Solidarity with Palestine’ proposal
At the second Union Assembly of the academic year, students debate the “Solidarity with Palestine” proposal
MMU students set to pay £1,716 LESS a year than UoM students currently living in Brook Hall
Manchester Metropolitan students will pay £166 a week for Brook Hall compared to current University of Manchester tenants paying £205pw
University Roundup: Unusual Elections, Honorary PhDs, and UCU Action
From wacky candidates at SU elections, to Doctor Stormzy, here is this week’s University Roundup, featuring news from universities around the country!