{"id":2061,"date":"2018-02-06T17:27:25","date_gmt":"2018-02-06T17:27:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/translatingpain\/?p=2061"},"modified":"2018-02-06T17:27:25","modified_gmt":"2018-02-06T17:27:25","slug":"his-hand-closed-up-over-the-stretch-of-five-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/his-hand-closed-up-over-the-stretch-of-five-years\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Ray&#8217;, by Philip Brennan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\">His hand closed up over the stretch of five years, and stayed like that till he passed. First the pinkie, as if winched towards the palm by an invisible string, and then the ring finger went, till his hand was frozen stiff like a claw. It was like it had slowly snapped shut, sixty years late for the butterflies we\u2019d chased in Parson\u2019s field. It was no worry to him, he chuckled, his pipe still fit between his fingers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"><em>by Philip Brennan<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>His hand closed up over the stretch of five years, and stayed like that till he passed. First the pinkie, as if winched towards the palm by an invisible string, and then the ring finger went, till his hand was frozen stiff like a claw. It was like it had slowly snapped shut, sixty years&hellip; <a class=\"continue\" href=\"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/his-hand-closed-up-over-the-stretch-of-five-years\/\">Continue Reading<span> &#8216;Ray&#8217;, by Philip Brennan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[16],"tags":[28,72,74,86,116],"class_list":["post-2061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anthology","tag-body","tag-hardship","tag-hope","tag-loss","tag-time"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9mjRE-xf","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3814,"url":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/early-onset-by-david-punter\/","url_meta":{"origin":2061,"position":0},"title":"&#8216;Early Onset&#8217;, by David Punter","author":"strongs","date":"September 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Like a tennis ace, all Crisp white shorts, and shirts Fresh every day, He sits over the breakfast Table, too big For any chair, an elbow\u00a0 Planted, a one-hand scoop Of eggs and bacon, Solid muscle in the arm And thigh, his neck A bronze pillar Of glowing flesh. And\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"body\"","block_context":{"text":"body","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/tag\/body\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3803,"url":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/the-break-of-day-by-jacqueline-woods\/","url_meta":{"origin":2061,"position":1},"title":"&#8216;The Break of Day&#8217;, by Jacqueline Woods","author":"strongs","date":"August 26, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Pain paralyses.\u00a0 It hurts too much to move, to unlock, unhinge my joints, put pressure on my tender limbs. I will wait for my Carer:\u00a0 my lover, my friend, who will lift me from my bed, magnificently. My arms encircle his neck as I breathe in the salty sunshine of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Anthology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Anthology","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/category\/anthology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2699,"url":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/collateral-damage\/","url_meta":{"origin":2061,"position":2},"title":"&#8216;Collateral Damage&#8217;, by Ellie Conway","author":"strongs","date":"February 25, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"There is too much light in the air today. My eyelids won\u2019t retreat;\u00a0 they\u2019re the heavy squad, repelling all invaders. My protection from a day too heavy for me,\u00a0 for my chest,\u00a0 my arms. my legs. I can only lie\u00a0 down beneath its weight. Breathing takes will. Push, push the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Anthology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Anthology","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/category\/anthology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2944,"url":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/a-double-etheree-on-living-with-m-e\/","url_meta":{"origin":2061,"position":3},"title":"&#8216;A Double Etheree on Living with M.E.&#8217;, by Linda Cosgriff","author":"strongs","date":"March 29, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"A man is ill. Whispered recollections of what he once was are all that sustain him.\u00a0 He has no hope. His aching visions of what should have been kill comfort. What could have been is a lie.\u00a0 He has no hope. He has no future. He has only now. Life\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Anthology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Anthology","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/category\/anthology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2052,"url":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/she-is-struggling-with-the-concept\/","url_meta":{"origin":2061,"position":4},"title":"&#8216;She is struggling with the concept&#8217;, by Lucy Goodwill","author":"strongs","date":"February 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"She is struggling with the concept of her body as a sensual object. She lifts the covers, brings her feet to meet the floor and winces as she stands. Legs laced with his now buckle as she walks, and shockwaves sparked by his touch are replaced by short-circuiting pain in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Anthology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Anthology","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/category\/anthology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3949,"url":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/stroke-by-lizzie-heath\/","url_meta":{"origin":2061,"position":5},"title":"&#8216;Stroke&#8217; by Lizzie Heath","author":"strongs","date":"May 15, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"There is a snuffing out when the synapses stop firing. The ex-wives fade to black. His hawks blink. Extinguished. The Co-op, Jesus, trains and snow glimmer. Cut. Planets spin off the axons. Our kisses are ashes blown to the wind. He lies alone, like a great house with all it's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Anthology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Anthology","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/category\/anthology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2061\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}