Our man
Has fled the page of hegemony
War-torn and bleedin’ detachment
Our man
First at the bar
Last to leave
Our man
From fit fiddle to organ rupture
From solid joiner   to rickety structure
Our man
Omits signals from deluded stations
Engages in the refusal of social invitations
Our man
Ain't just stayin’ off the drugs
He’s stayin’ off the people!
Our man
Only halfway through his life
Is already focused on the sequel
Our man
Has signed an abatement order
Against his soul
Our man
Mind plagued   neurons severed
Is on the verge of himself   lamented by absence
Our man
The voice of treason   hammer to the nail
Our man
Has walked out   on himself

Our man #1 is part of a sequence of poems exploring the concept of masculinity and mental health within  today's neoliberal context. It's part of Jamie Thrasivoulou’s forthcoming collection Our man, to be published by Burning Eye Books. His first collection The Best Of A Bad Situation is available from Silhouette Press.

Poetry on the Picket Line is a squad of like-minded poets putting themselves about to read their work on picket lines, in the spirit of solidarity. Invitations to rallies etc. welcome, contact facebook.com/pg/PicketLinePoets. The new Poetry on the Picketline anthology is available at culturematters.org.uk http://www.culturematters.org.uk/index.php/shop-support/our-publications/item/2895-poetry-on-the-picket-line