Sum off-comed-’uns ’ev mithered mi
An’ nagued mi wi’t’ barmy wee-a ah speyk
So ah’ve putten this dahn ter defen’ missen
An hoo-ap mi ca-ase is strang, nert wee-ak.
...
And if the mirror cracks, why worry?
It’s only the reflection that is marred;
Originals remain intact and crystal clear.
...
And though they suck the oxygen of my enthusiasm
To feed the flames of all-consuming apathy,
I will not bow;
I will not break.
...
Although my kid brother’s quite a bit of a hunk,
He’s just like his mother, as a hoarder of junk.
He had so much clutter in his pad, dark with gloom,
It looked like the gutter had invaded his room:
...
First make your marks in arcane, ancient cuneiform
To mould mere indents upon soft, supple, passive clay,
Impress with fine, firm fingers, opening the account,
Initiating interaction, starting soft,
...
You tripped and tumbled down that slippery slope
Which lay in wait, agape before your feet.
Did you not see that slyly hidden hole,
That trick, that cunning catch which I had set?
...
The bare, black lime looms large,
Tall by the well-trod granite paving stones,
Its silhouetted shape,
A ghost etched on November’s neutral tones,
...
Pulse after pulse drums its beat in the city
Throbbing like heartache deep down in its veins;
Globs of humanity cram into carriages
Until they emanate grey from the trains.
...
First-born of Mary, though of lowly birth,
Not just a baby: God in man on earth,
Starting Your story, suffering and cold,
First-born of Mary, only minutes old.
...
Deep, deep down in the dull, dark dungeon,
Doomed, the duke’s dainty daughter dwells,
Fastened firm by fearsome fetters;
Cell safe-secured by secret spells.
...