<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Instructions <\/strong><\/p>\n Select your glue with care brush clear of debris the contours press firmly \u2013 tentatively rotate and breathe<\/em> \u2013 now practise again should you misjudge so breathe<\/em> then pierce the seal with a pin wipe clean the tip \u2013 replace the cap can you feel your breathing?<\/em> position both parts so you\u2019ll be next you must wait so sit, and notice your breath\u2019s caress and now take both in your hands \u2013 rotate in one swift movement press and hold a final check \u2013 the angle\u2019s right? set down the delicate whole and learn <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Phil Vernon<\/strong> has lived in Kent since 2004, after twenty years living in various countries in Africa. He started writing poetry again in 2012 after a twenty-year break. Whereas in the past his poems were mostly written in free verse, he now embraces more formal forms, and finds his words and ideas thus surprise him more often. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Other Poetry, Ink Sweat & Tears, Acumen, Anima, Elbow Room, Gold Dust, Pennine Platform, Crann\u00f3g, Poetry Salzburg Review, Out of Place<\/em> and The Poetry Shed,<\/em> and he has been shortlisted and commended in several poetry competitions. Some of his poems are on his website: https:\/\/philvernon.net\/category\/poetry\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Instructions Select your glue with care as most are designed for smooth or porous surfaces \u2013 not both brush clear of debris then dab with alcohol rehearse the join \u2013 and breathe the contours where the break occurred must match press firmly \u2013 tentatively rotate till both sides fit as they did […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-prose-poetry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16278"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16598,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16278\/revisions\/16598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nas most are designed for smooth
\nor porous surfaces \u2013 not both<\/p>\n
\nthen dab with alcohol
\nrehearse the join \u2013 and breathe<\/em><\/p>\n
\nwhere the break occurred
\nmust match<\/p>\n
\ntill both sides fit as they did before
\nwith a silent click<\/p>\n
\nfor you will not have a second
\nsecond chance<\/p>\n
\nthe union will be
\nnot as good as new<\/p>\n
\nunscrew the cap
\nimagine every step ahead<\/p>\n
\napply the swelling glue
\nand breathe<\/em><\/p>\n
\nand set aside the tube and pin
\nyou should not need them again<\/p>\n
\nspread the adhesive evenly
\nwith an unspent match<\/p>\n
\nalmost sure to grasp them right
\ncan you feel your breathing now?<\/em><\/p>\n
\nuntil it is almost
\ndry to the touch<\/p>\n
\nassess the glue with a fingertip
\nand test again<\/p>\n
\nwhile breathing quietly out<\/em>
\nsuspend your disbelief<\/p>\n
\nattempt the angles again \u2013 again
\nand breathe<\/em><\/p>\n
\nuntil your fingertips turn white
\nand breathe<\/em><\/p>\n
\nwipe swollen beads from the join
\nthe hairline disappears<\/p>\n
\nand breathe <\/em>
\nand wait<\/p>\n
\nwhile breathing <\/em>
\nif the join will take.<\/p>\n