Forest trees hing dour

Fan clowds scowk haithenous an cruel
or forest trees hing dour wi dule
or some peer dumb cratur bowfs an drools
we pit on’t some human thocht
for we jalouse fae peenge an pewl
conceits oorsels hiv wrocht.

We see oor hairts neth beastie’s skin;
but for aa we think micht bide within,
their het reed bleed that rins an rins
is nae the same’s oor ain
it’s nae as thick wi the original sin
that clags oor veins.

© BH, 2023

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I’ve been working on some poems using the Habbie Stanza (also, more commonly, the Burns Stanza) for a recent call-out for submissions using the form in innovative ways. Hopefully, that’s what I’ve achieved.

Here, I thought to tackle the pathetic fallacy. You know, the personification where human emotion is ascribed to inanimate objects and nature. 

I’ve written five so far, each different in different ways - satirical, naturalistic,blah, blah… I thought this short effort might sit happily online. It’s a wee bit Calvinistic, but then, nature is innocent (unless our being part of nature makes for a degree of complicity). See what you think!