Planet Shaped Horse

By Luke Kennard

Luke Kennard's Planet Shaped Horse is an unhinged blackcomedy poemplay from one of contemporary poetry's most unique voices. When the (anti)hero of the piece is enduring a somewhat 'enforced' stay at Fouracres Halfway House, entanglements ensue. Both terrible and beautiful things happen.

Hermits and doctors are not what they seem and neither Miranda nor Simon seem capable of reining in or reforming their unreliable narrator...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nine Arches Press
• Release date: Oct 4, 2013
• ISBN: 9780957384774

Luke Kennard

Luke Kennard is a poet and writer of fiction who was born in Kingston Upon Thames in 1981. His second collection The Harbour Beyond the Movie was published by Salt in 2007 and was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection, making him the youngest writer ever to be shortlisted. His most recent collection, Cain, was published by Penned in the Margins in 2016 and shortlisted for the International Dylan Thomas Prize. His first novel, The Transition, was BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime and was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and his second novel The Answer to Everything will be published in 2021.

Book preview

Time-Line

[Not relevant.]

Case Notes:

Client 1764 now voluntary in-patient in locked Ward 3. Trialled on _______. No noticeable improvement. Trialled on _______. Reports some improvement. Trialled on _______. Questions very nature of improvement, objective reality. Trialled on _______. Reports curious god-like feeling. Trialled on _______ and _______. Reports nothing. Trialled on _______. Client displays basic conversation and little excitement. Publishes first collection of short stories with Charlie Horse Books. Contact editor of Charlie Horse Books. Explain this very dangerous re: state of client’s mind, feeds into delusions, etc. Editor becomes demonstrative: client is unique and extraordinary talent; client is visionary, actually; we are fucking thought police. Explain editor we are not thought police. Client danger to self, others. Client already sees self as ‘author’. Having book out only exacerbates aberration. And for what? Does book even sell? Editor hangs up. Client trialled on _______. Able to concentrate kitchen exercise. Able to concentrate washing and dressing exercise. Able to concentrate jigsaw puzzle of Magritte’s Le fils de l’homme. Client recommended for remedial care at Fouracres Halfway House.

Oh, You Don't Agree?

I don’t want to sound like a prophet,

but last night I found over twenty things in Revelation

that could be metaphors for the internet.

I’m going to pretend I overheard that in Pret A Manger;

a pretty young mother said it to her baby son.

She ate a beef and watercress sandwich.

She said many beautiful and terrible things.

The