Gaelic Songs Of Upper Deeside Poem by Sheena Blackhall

Twenty years I've sat in this bookshop
Under the sign ‘Miscellaneous'.

‘You're a niche book, 'my owner tells me.
‘But at least you're not in a charity shop
Gathering dust with second hand tat.'

'Thig crìoch air an t-saoghal, ach mairidh gaol is ceòl.
The end of the world will come, but love and music will last, '
He reassures me.

‘There's a whole shelf of Harry Potters
They're out as fast's they're in
Blink and they're gone, ' I moan.

‘Dickens, Shakespeare, they're always in demand, '
I complain.

‘Cha ‘n i ‘bhó ‘s àirde géum a's mò bainne -
The loudest cow isn't always the best milker, ' he replies.

‘Not so many customers buying now, ' I say.
‘It'll be the economic storm going round the world.'

‘Sheideadh e na h-adharcan de ghobhar,
It would blow the horns off a goat, ' he sighs.

Ochone, I think to myself, being a niche book, at least
I'm out of the cold.