The Shout

Simon Armitage is one of Britain's most respected poets. He is considered Philip Larkin's successor in both the easy brilliance of his verse and the national acclaim he has received. His subjects have ranged from yardwork to politics, from the fidelity of dogs to the negotiations of lovers. A selection of poetry that is wry, unpretentious, and constantly inventive, The Shout collects Armitage's best work from the past three decades and includes many of his most recent poems.Man with a Golf Ball HeartThey set about him with a knife and fork, I heard,and spooned it out. Dunlop, dimpled, perfectly hard.It bounced on stone but not on softer ground-they madea note of that. They slit the skin-a leathery,rubbery, eyelid thing-and further in, three milesof gut or string, elastic. Inside that, a pouchor sac of pearl-white balm or gloss, like Copydex.It weighed in at the low end of the litmus testbut wouldn't burn, and tasted bitter, bad, resinperhaps from a tree or plant. And it gave off gasthat caused them all to weep when they inspected it.That heart had been an apple once, they reckoned. Green.They had a scheme to plant an apple there againbeginning with a pip, but he rejected it.