Scots poem of the month - April 2009

This piece of writing was selected by the staff at the Scottish Poetry Library who receive Foundation funding from the Scottish Arts Council

Heritage Ae winter at mirk The yett oot by steikit, The wun in the lum, The kitchen peat-reikit We gethert aroun In the firelicht’s flame An listent tae stories O a faur, ancient hame. Ma faither sang sangs That lullt us tae sleep, O seal-maids an kelpies ‘at soomt in the deep. He sang o great deeds By giants o men. Sang o wattercress burn, Sang o mist-covert ben. As the fire wis smoort An the nicht drave awaa We dreamt heroes’ dreams Til the mornin’s cock craa. Josie Neill From Chuckies fir the Cairn (Luath, 2009)  Poem supplied courtesy of Luath Press

About the poet Josephine Neill, an Ayrshire lassie born and bred, nou bides in Dumfries, hae’n taught in baith Ayrshire an Dumfriesshire for many years.  Poems hae appeart in mony anthologies, Keele University Publications, With Both Feet off the Ground, Solway Stills, Mr.Burns for Supper, The Kist, Markings, and A Hantle o Verse publisht by The Museums of Scotland.  A collection is on cassette Smaa Rain available from Scotsoun. She won the Robert McLelland Tassie for best short story in Scots and First Prize in the Scottish Section of The International Open Poetry Competition.  She has also broadcast a series of dialogues in Scots for Radio Solway wi weel lou’d makar Willie Neill. She screives in English tae, as weel as French (shades o The Auld Alliance).

Inspiration for the Poem Childhood winters in a remote Ayrshire village at the foot of Cairn Table were severe indeed.  When the wind blew off the moor, the doors and the gate had to be firmly ‘steikit’.  The big living-kitchen was the place to be, safe, cosy, full of warmth.  My father indeed did tell stories while the wind wailed in the chimney and the ‘sneck’ rattled.  He sang to us too.  There was a childhood for you!