Poem of the month - December 2006 and January 2007

Neverthriving of Jugglers We’ve tumbled through aeons and eras never quite knowing which way is up tossing our flaming torches aloft and praying we don’t get burnt. We always do. Wherever there’s a crowd – at coronations, festivals and revolutions, as tumbrils and bullet-proof limos roll by we parade our timeless brand of levity. We’re an unscheduled extra, an add-on that no-one wrote into the budget for sushi buffet or hogroast with trimmings. We pass round our perennial hat to pay for our scratchings.  During speeches proclaiming new leaders, regimes, we ruminate on our eternal quandary: where we might find a bed for the night. By Dilys Rose Poem supplied courtesy of the Scottish Poetry Library

About the poet Dilys Rose lives in Edinburgh. She writes mostly poetry, fiction and, recently, libretti, and enjoys collaborating with visual artists and musicians. She has published ten books, most recently Lure (poetry, Chapman 2003), Lord of Illusions (short stories, Luath 2005) and Selected Stories (Luath 2005). Work in progress includes Bodyworks:new poems and Helter Skelter, a libretto for music theatre. She has received various awards for her writing, most recently a UNESCO/World City of Literature exchange fellowship and, in collaboration with the composer Rory Boyle, a Creative Scotland Award for a new chamber opera, The Child of Europe. She is the 2006 winner of the McCash Scots language poetry competition. Visit Dilys' website for further information.

If you have enjoyed this poem, you can borrow a range of poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library, who also lend by post. Telephone 0131 557 2876 or email reception@spl.org.uk. For an online catalogue, poetry events listings and more featured poems, please visit the Scottish Poetry Library website.