Toon Hoose Key

I fell heir tae the Toon Hoose key
the day Jim an me were doon
amang its foons.

We’d tyauve’t hard, shiftin
an yarkin at fifty-year o leavins
an ither uiseless gear.

Syne, the midden-years cleart oot,
aa the gash wid an carboord boxes
makkin wye for better,

then we foun a clock, a muckle lump
o Bakelite wi Roman nummers
an a lectric motor that widna run.

Fit wis the pint,
we thocht, tae time passin
an nane o’s ony the wiser?

Fit wis the pint
o an a clock wi its hauns gealt
at the hauf hoor aifter fower?

Onywye, we pit it on an auld piana
we were still keepin though
it wis in sair need o a tune.

Ach, we said, the auld days are
nocht bit stour an grime
left ahin in corners, like caddis.

An the key, weichty in ma pooch,
wi nae door noo tae unlock,
as muckle uise as aa the rest,

I took it hame.

© BH, 2023

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Probably it wis 2018 - when this happent. Clearin oot the Town Hall for its new incarnation in the hands o its community.

Aifter years of fit can only be caed neglect, the volunteers came (mysel amang them) tae get things on tae a mair even keel. In the middle o aa this there wis a key - redundant noo the modern deadlocks were in place.

Seemed a peety jist tae chuck it.

It’s the key in the picter here - for aa tae see…