so many stories of death in his red suit
he is a most admirable workman and good company
come old age or the flag with their triumphs
Erasure poem derived from The Diary of Samuel Pepys, Monday 6 July 1668
The poem never says who its "public servant" is, and that's part of its game. The clues point in one direction, though: a man in a red suit who has seen "so many stories of death." The title and the red suit suggest a figure whose job is public and ongoing, and the poem's phrase "a most admirable…
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