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Literature, PoetryApril 26, 2014

Thunder, Lightning etc.

Artwork by Jamil Afridi. Courtesy: ArtChowk Gallery.

Artwork by Jamil Afridi. Courtesy: ArtChowk Gallery.

A slumber party thunderstorm was brilliant —
the room illuminating like an X-ray,
the steady counting, then the thunder’s bellow.

Each second that we counted was a mile
though someone always said it stood for streets
and we’d allow ourselves to play that game.

Three seconds from the flash to clap was school.
Two seconds and I reckon that’s Miss Powell’s.
Now barely one, It’s probably hit the Spar.

Our lightning strikes would laser half the town,
take down the crappy landmarks of our youth.
A childhood, if you’re lucky, should be this.

Safe enough to bathe for fun in terror
knowing that there’s parents in the lounge
who’d have a plan if horror ever came.

But now we’re in our thirties lightning’s striking
them. Our parents. At first, it seems far off.
The count between the flash and clap so long

you barely notice; miles, not streets away.
But before long it’s close, it’s months not years.
And then you know it’s you who needs the plan.

~Luke Wright

Luke Wright has been described as “one of the funniest and most brilliant poets of his generation” by The Independent. He writes bawdy bar room ballads about Westminster rogues and small town tragedies. He is a regular on BBC Radio 4 and the author of seven one man poetry shows, touring with them all over the world. His debut collection, ‘Mondeo Man’ was published in 2013 to great acclaim.

 

Editor’s Note: ‘Thunder, Lightning etc.’ appears in the Wenlock Poetry Festival 2014 anthology, and appears here with kind permission from the poet and the publisher.

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One last love letter...

April 24, 2021

It has taken us some time and patience to come to this decision. TMS would not have seen the success that it did without our readers and the tireless team that ran the magazine for the better part of eight years.

But… all good things must come to an end, especially when we look at the ever-expanding art and literary landscape in Pakistan, the country of the magazine’s birth.

We are amazed and proud of what the next generation of creators are working with, the themes they are featuring, and their inclusivity in the diversity of voices they are publishing. When TMS began, this was the world we envisioned…

Though the magazine has closed and our submissions shuttered, this website will remain open for the foreseeable future as an archive of the great work we published and the astounding collection of diverse voices we were privileged to feature.

If, however, someone is interested in picking up the baton, please email Maryam Piracha, the editor, at maryamp@themissingslate.com.

Farewell, fam! It’s been quite a ride.

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