Scots Poems From Ice Cream Dreams Poem by Sheena Blackhall

Clootie Tree
Clootie tree, clootie tree, hingin wi wishes
Preened there bi fowk like a sea-fu o fishes
Gie me a cat wi a wee siller bell
Clootie tree, clootie tree, aa tae masel


Bringin in Simmer
Bring in the simmer hats, the hikin buits
Bring in the midgie spray, the bottled watter
Bring in the bandie nets the sleepin bags
Bring in the tent, the stove, the plastic platter

Bring in the sunglaisses, the sun spray lotion
Bring in the deck chairs, paiddlin puils, the cloudless sky
Bring in bikinis, flip flops, airm bands
Bring in the ices creams, simmer's on its wey

Protectrix
The veil atween this mortal lan an ghaistie clouds o Heiven
Is thinnest on the muckle Bens, far rowans raxx their airms
A lanely rowan's staunin stinch protectin Rannoch Moor,
Rowan tree protect me frae the Warld's hurts and herms

The pentagram yer berry hauds will save my bairns frae skaith
Yer bridal flouers as fite's the snaw, they yet haud auncient cherms
The Druids used yer berries in their eildritch rituals
Rowan tree protect me frae the Warld's hurts and herms

We biggit on the rowan tree a bonnie birdie box
A chaffie flichters oot an in, its gorblies' meat tae earn
The simmer lang the rowan's filled wi cheeper's musardrie
Rowan tree protect me frae the Warld's hurts and herms

Interview at the Funeral Parlour
Fit drew ye tae bein a receptionist fur an unnertakker? he speirs
I rattle oot ma list:
I'm a luver o peace an quaet
I'm nae allergic tae flooers
Hymn music soothes the nerves

There can be lang oors jist sittin, he tells me
It picks up in the winter wi the auld,
Faas, hoasts an the like. We're gey busy syne

Ye can knit tae pass the time, he gaes on
Or read a buik, ae receptionist tuik her ironin in
She did it throw the back.

Nae on a coffin? I hubber, horrified
Na na, he explains, thon wid spyle the varnish

Hae ye mony applicants I wint tae ken
I'll be honest, he admits
Jobs like this aften gyaun in-hoose
Wis yer da/granda/ uncle/ brither
Iver a gravedigger/mortician/unnertakker?
It rins in faimlies like asthma or jug lugs

Na, I repon, kennin it wis a stitch up
Tho I aften hae a picnic on a gravesteen.


Granminnie's Kintsugi
The wrunkles on granminnie's broo
Wir scrattit there bi the years

Lauchter lines, wrunkles o wae
O widdaehood, held thegither
Bi swyte, bi smeddum, bi luve

Precious as ony Ming vase
Haudin, as she did,
The wyceness o births an daiths
O kists an cradles

The wrunkles on granminnie's broo
Wir richer than gowd, sweet
As the rings on a tree staunin stinch in the wid


Jinty
Jinty cam frae frae a hoose
O auld parents, an aulder granparents

The windaes hid timmer shutters
Wechty curtains, heich cauld ceilins
Fireplaces wi rikkin coals
Cheena chunties an braisse geegaws

Ootside waas wir studded wi brukken glaiss
The cassies wir cobblit, the street Victorian
Frozen in Time, like a fossil

She gaed tae schule humphin a leather bag
Stappit wi buiks. In her pooch,
Pennies fur the Trustee Savins bank

She gaed tae pianie lessons
Singin lessons. Elocution lessons
Ballet & Heilan dauncin

Even the flooers wir auld farrant
Tam Thooms. Snapdragons, reid hett pokers
Gladioli, sclimmin rose, peony, lupins
Thrissle, hydrangea, hinneysuckle, size

Peens o glaiss grew frostit flooers inside
Fin Winter grippit the street in its cauldrife jaws
A bairn born late, larns lear frae hynie back

Teapot
Foo dae fowk nae buy teapots
Wi spoots that poor oot richt?
Insteid o spoots that dribble oot
An flood, a teatime blicht!


Ice Cream Dreams
Gin I wis a park in a simmer night
Reid hett, I'd gae sic dreams
I'd dreak that floatin abune ma yird
Wid be clouds stappt wi ice creams


Butterin Up
I thocht ma cousin wis an alchemist
She churned cream tae butter, hauns freckled broon
Usin elbuck grease, an steerin aathin roon

She poored the cream inno a muckle pot
Wheepin it faist till the cream itsel brakk up
The butterfat's dividit frae the bree

She scooped the butter inno a cheena bowl.
Rinsed the butter bi poorin water in
Pressed the lave o the buttermilk
Oot wi a timmer speen

Poored aff the watter, repeatin aa again
Rinsin an squashin till the watter's clear
Addit satt, oot cam twa butter pats
Tae gie the butter shape, wi their ribbit sides
An eftir her darg, wi a knife, see the butter glide
On toast or tattie, bun, croissant or bap


Gone for Good
The toun is quaet, the shops are bare an rypit
Fur Sale, fur sale, fur sale in ilkie windae
Nyakkit, faceless mannikins lie teetle the waa

Ootbye fowk pech in the heat, ahin face masks
The gargoyles on Marischal college luik doon horrifeed

The pandemic's passed throwe like an airmy
Teemin the pooches o traders

Doos an scurries scutter aroon the grun
The mannikins are sichtless,
In murnin fur their claes that
Cheenged wi the Sizzens,
Their future's the skip,
Makkin wye fur the Bookies, the posters, the graffiti
The mannikins winner far aa the custom's gaen

Chips
After Chips by the artist Lyndsey Lannie

Chips, chips, sae braw on the lips
Sae tasty bit sadly they widen the hips
They're spicy wi sauce they're amazin wi dips
They're the king o the side plate: aa ithers ootstrips


Duncan Williamson Traiveller 1928- 2007
Duncan Williamson wis born
Inbye a Loch Fyne bowie tent
His faither wirked the tinsmith trade
Vrocht baskets, learnt him aa he kent

He traivelled Perthshire & Argyll
He tuik a Townley quine tae wed
They'd sivven bairns, an aa the while
Bi wirkin hard he kept them fed

His secunt wife bore twa mair bairns
She studied folklore, shared his bed
An saved his sangs & ballads, tales
That in his family wir inbred

Sae hack the kinnlin, add a log
Upon the lowe o story rikk
Gaither the culture o the Past
Daith snaps upon yer heels ower quick


Agnes
Dae yowes hae personalities?
Agnes dis
Tho she wid raither that ye caad her Senga

She stauns alane,
A yowe wi smeddum

Foo are there nae yowes in the Queen's Honour list?
She wid like tae ken.

She wid like tae be caad Dame Senga
OBE, fur lang tholin the Scottish weather
An pittin up wi the shepherd's choice o ram

Arranged mairraige? ….He's nae the maist faithfu o sheep
An low be it fuspered, an thick as a neep!