What can poetry give us in this sorry mess of Spring 2026? Waiting for Dave (another daft name for a storm) while Donald beats his war chest, I was searching for answers. Here we are, between Donald and Dave, two man-made malevolencies blowing in from the west ‘and there’s naethin ye can dae, said the old boys’ as a canny Kathleen Jamie notes in her poem, Springs, written in … [Read more...] about Four poems in defiance of an uneasy spring
Poetry
‘Give them hope’ – four (or more) poems for the budget
'And remember to give them hope.'Looking back, the words seem to echo. On 19 December 2023, Rachel Reeves was speaking from the pulpit at the memorial service of Alastair Darling in an overflowing St Mary’s Cathedral, the Episcopal one at Edinburgh’s West End.Then shadow chancellor, she paid tribute to the much-respected man she described as her mentor, most … [Read more...] about ‘Give them hope’ – four (or more) poems for the budget
For future generations from our here and now
Remember that ancient Chinese saying –And may you live in interesting times?It sounds like benediction, blessing,but no, it’s contrary, not what it seems.Alan Spence Interesting Times: 2021Alan Spence the fifth Makar of Edinburgh has written a poem to be buried in the ground. A time capsule poem for future generations. It was his last official commission at the end of … [Read more...] about For future generations from our here and now
Wishing love: a song and poem for the new year
There is a great deal of discrepancy between the world as it really is and the world that we ought to have. New year is a time for remembering those aspirations both personally and collectively to help us shoot for the stars rather than sinking to our lowest and laziest common denominator of human behaviours! So……today I have a song and a poem around this. January is ruled over … [Read more...] about Wishing love: a song and poem for the new year
Kathleen Jamie: the poetry of natural resistance
When Kathleen Jamie was appointed Scotland’s Makar by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a special ceremony at the Scottish Poetry Library in August, Jamie read from her poem The Wishing Tree, which begins: I stand neither in the wilderness nor fairyland but in the fold of a green hill the tilt from one parish into another. The Makar’s appointment process involved a … [Read more...] about Kathleen Jamie: the poetry of natural resistance