Was working on a couple of things today (Friday as it was, only posting this on Saturday) & none of them really panned out. I might revisit one of the others tomorrow or later.

Today’s task is inspired by the announcement of the Man Booker International Prize 2016 Shortlist. 6 books, 5 great titles & one which doesn’t go very well with the rest. So, feeling lazy, that “hard-to-fit-with-the-other-5-books” title, became the “doesn’t-really-make-sense” title of today’s poem. Given more time, or energy, or creative juice – maybe I coulda made it fit.

As it is, you have 4 versions of the same poem. No extra words added.

the vegetarian
(in four repeating acts)

i.
a strangeness in my mind
the story of the lost child
the four books, a whole life
a general theory of oblivion

ii.
a general theory of oblivion
the four books, a whole life
the story of the lost child
a strangeness in my mind

iii.
the story of the lost child
a strangeness in my mind
a general theory of oblivion
a whole life, the four books

iv.
a whole life, the four books
a strangeness in my mind
a general theory of oblivion
the story of the lost child

Note: As a way of apologising to Han Kang, I am using a detail from an edition of The Vegetarian.

Note 2: Late posting is due to slowed down internet/difficulty uploading images. Apparently multinational telcos like you pay their bills regularly…