Midwinter Music (Orkney) Poem by John Beaton

This poem arose from a visit to the Orkney Islands off the north tip of Scotland. They're so windswept they have few trees, but they have many ancient ruins. It was the annual Folk Festival, much of which takes place in village halls, and I was surprised by the number of excellent fiddlers and cellists for the size of the population. Then I considered how it must be there in winter, with bad weather and, because of the northern latitude, short days and long nights. Suddenly, I realized why there were so many fine instrumentalists!

This poem has four stanzas, each in a form I made up: six lines rhymed aabcbc, where the a-rhymes are partial and the b- and c-rhymes full.Lines 1,2,3, and 6 have four beats each and lines 4 and 5, two each.

This poem won the 2015 "String Poet Prize" and was published in "String Poet". The award included creation and performance of a classical music composition inspired by the poem and a two-hour presentation ceremony in Long Island, New York. I attended, heard the music, and recited the poem. It has been republished elsewhere.