Wednesday 22 February 2017

Serious Moonlight















The sky we deserved looked down on us at midnight 

In the ink-dark town, in its black basements,
Where the parting hours cowered in doorways
With their small dashed hopes like cheap stars
Glistening on the dirty ground.

Sunday 12 February 2017

Other Side of the World























Twenty-five years
Of messages in wires,
Voices on telephone lines.

I saw his face in shadow,
Shadows crossing it,
On the other side of the world,
In his lightless room.

Saturday 11 February 2017

Deid Watter












Gillie Mhor, a seadog, twa wiks deid,
Wisna mindin i skrach o gulls an the heave o the deep
Nor profit an loss.
The doundraig neth I faem
Chawed his banes clean. An he rose an fell
Past aa his ages an his growin
As he sweelt roon Corryvreckan.
Billy or Tim,
Ye aa caa the wheel an see fit wye the win blaws,
Think on the Gillie Mhor, aince braw an as streetched as thee.

Enemy














Looking across a no-man’s land
In which you hesitate to dwell;
No possibility of recognition
At such a distance.

Tomorrow’s News


The pieces fell together at random. Bit by bit, the parareal jigsaw took on vestigial shape. Only the key pieces were missing: the key pieces, always the ones which don’t appear right away.

Wednesday 1 February 2017

Seafog















Seafog is a different matter.

It takes a strong wind
To drive it away offshore,
Across the pebblestone beaches.