Douglas Scotney Poems

The big forces come from outside.

There is a universe-encompassing universe
In which our particular one,
...

1.
around above below

around below
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Rarely now surrounded by
or possessing herself
the genuine affection
she had grown to love,
...

A poet might settle
For beauty.

The beauty of ease
...

As expected, when rail came in,
Family closeness increased.
But it wasn't from the ease of getting together,
It was from the ease of getting apart.
...

We saw one word
and the more we had to admire,
the achievements on the track,
the humour, the looks, the demeanour,
...

Knowing you have the answer,
If the need arises,
Might the need arise sooner
Than otherwise it would?
...

Autumn's First Breeze

'A smiling poet
Down by the paulownia.
...

Waxing high
a poet cried:

Mysterious child
...

Baudelaire:
By the sky of a just-set sun
I recalled an imperishable line:
'Je croyais respirer le parfum de ton sang'*
...