2014 National Poetry Day: ‘Scotland’ by Hugh MacDiarmid
as read by Kevin Williamson
A selfie poem of Hugh MacDiarmid’s gentle, nuanced and timely verse: ‘Scotland’. For 2014 National Poetry Day.
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Lovely stuff, Kevin, thank you.
i have gathered to myself… eh whose national poetry day was that.?.. Scotland? I think we should be told. Or educated. Great stuff Kevin.
Thanks Kevin! It sort of soothed my tortured soul!
Scotland 2014 (MacDiarmid Riff)
It requires great lowering of it deeply to read
The conformists in a landscape,
Gradually grow conscious of finger shadows,
Of great means in slim asymmetries,
Hear at last the great voice-over that speaks softly,
Set the swindle and fall upon the flag
Of a status carved out of a whole country’s marches,
Be like spies, like a handler in a winter
Moving new and old threats carefully to and fro,
Moving a fraud and fluster here,
Placing an inconvenience of airplanes there,
And without breaking anything.
So I have gathered unto myself
All the lost endeavours of Scotland,
And by naming them and accepting them,
Loving them and identifying myself with them,
Attempted to expel the whole.
Thanks, Kevin.
Poetry selfie? Great idea Kevin, well executed.