Dreich magazine

 A couple of poems in 'Dreich' # 8. Thanks to editor Jack Caradoc and to Chrys Salt for pointing me in the Dreich direction!

A Lang Wait

My poem ‘A Lang Wait’ was published recently in Scottish PEN online journal (theme ‘Patience’). Here’s me reading it, in Scots with English subtitles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZMerrImhBU&t=1s&fbclid=IwAR0k7kn-QRmyXRO2-ovuXZQ7Xo2WaYjC0L9O2u9gPMILWxIbGC36dSjqMOM

Here's the original Scots version:

A Lang Wait

Ye micht wait lang
afore fowk – yon's you and me and aa – 
arenae gowkit –

 –  bi thaim as promise jam the morn
(a tax brek, a pun or twae mair pension, oor country's glorious futur)
 – bi thaim as gie us an enemy tae turn oor hate upon
(immigraunts and furriners, Jews, Muslims, aye, and a wee war warks wunners)
 – bi breid and circuses
(think Meghan and Harry, onie celeb ye can nem)
 – bi thaim as awns the media and gie oot fake news for thir ain fell purposes
(the heidlines ony day o the week)
 – bi thaim as haes maistered and refined the cantrips o kings, emperors, warlords and high-heid-yins sin the beginnin o time.

Ye micht wait lang. But keep the faith
for things will chynge for the better –
the lees will be seen throu
and the truth come oot suiner or later.
It's happent afore, it’ll suirly happen again.
It's a lang road – yit wi howp
and mair nor howp – gin ye speik oot

for thaim as cannae speik oot and for thaim
whase vyce is owherwhaulmt
bi the warld’s stramash and scurry-whirry
stour will flee frae the een. Dinnae gie up.
In daurk days aye haud forrit, haud on.