Memorial: Catherine Wilson Garry and Alec Finlay
From the Poetry Library’s Lantern poetry podcast.
Poetry enables elagy and helps us remember the past, and those who have passed. What does this mean in public and private spheres?
Attitudes of memory and memorial are integral to the work of poets Catherine Wilson Garry and Alec Finlay, and they join Kathleen Jamie and Ally Heather to explore this evocative theme.
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Bide awa frae the fanny,
wis fit we wur taught.
Bide awa frae the manny,
wis fit we thought.
The leaders said 2 metres,
ma old boy wurkt in feet,
finivir he built a shed
the joab wis daen hail neat.
All leaders ivir dae
is try tae trip folk up,
so stick yer heid oan straight
& nivir trust tae luck.
tv or not tv
Trubbl is, sun ae Andra,
farm laborir, conservatove/ nom dè form, M.C.,
born in thi year ov wur lord, 2003,
in thi darkist den ov iniquity,
maist fowkies receiving medallions
wind up brain deid, pushn up daisies
afore their time, alongside them they huv maimed,
murdrd, mutilatid, rendirt disabld, slawtrd
like so moany heid ae cattl
in ordr tae accumulate thi numbr ae pints requird
afore oany sich accilade/honour in the shape
ae sum seen tae be forgottin dust gathrin trinket/bauble
can be justifiably bistowed upoan thir person
at the ripe ald age ae 50. Finally, deemd
wurthy ov yon medieval style ceremoany
sae sinister, anti-meanister, anachronistic,
simplistic, somnambulistic, oanly ivir serving
tae rimind wansel less ae a gude kickup the jacksy
than sum centuries ald diabolical, dramatical,
tragicomical tradition wie its teleological trajectory
taewards the hackneyed, sleazy, bashful & breezy,
blearily red eyed, blud shot & weary,
perturbin, deeply disturbin denouemont far the higher
the hill ae disease riddin corpses,
the mair rancid the stench ae rottin flesh,
the mair putrid the run aff maun be
in oany subsequential instalment ov
yon greater jester less edutainment
judged as fit tae be screend.
My yungist (skool teacher,
regular attendir at the Ebineezir)
wis daen sum grand a module
course, courtesy ov the Uni.
Fin it came tae Clach vs. County
thir wis bound to be a gude bounty,
my advice, while laid up in traction,
wis that simple course ov action,
expect anuthir 2 nillir
afore it turns intae a thrillir.
a strupach or twa
wul dae me, it’s either that
or the TCP
gitn intae ma scratch
fin I git hame, & nivir
gan oot ivir again