Benny And Hannah 1960 Poem by Terry Collett

The sky looked overcast
dark clouds moved
above me.

I knocked
on the door
to Hannah's
parents' flat.

Mrs Scot opened it up
and eyed me
whit dae ye want?
she said.

Is Hannah home?
I said.

Nae she's it
Mrs Scot replied
in her Scottish dialect.

When will
she be back?
I said.

When she's dain
wi' messages
she said.

Can I come in
and wait?
I said.

If ye main
she said gruffly
and stood back
to let me pass by
and into
the sitting room.

Sit thaur
an dornt tooch
she said
through thin lips
and walked off.

I sat in one
of the armchairs
to wait.

There was a photograph
on the mantelshelf
of a man in a kilt
and hat
and stern gaze.

I wondered
if he was Mrs Scot's father
he looked like her
without the beard.

After five minutes
Hannah returned
with the shopping
and walked past the door
and smiled.

Won't be long
she said.

I could hear
Mrs Scot moan
and Hannah reply
but couldn't grasp
what they said.

Hannah came
and after a few words
with her mother
we left the flat
with her mother's words
echoing after us
like a seaman's cuss.