Scottie Wilson: The Tree Of Life With Fish Poem by Sheena Blackhall

In The Tree of Life with Fish
Fish fly round a white tree, or hang from it like fruit
Some drop to the undergrowth
This Tree of Life grows in the Torah's Garden of Eden
And Rabbinic Judaism's ‘Tree of Souls'.
The Winds of Change blow souls across the world

Are these fish born of the tree? Could there be new souls
Waiting to sprout and be plucked?
This Tree's creator was born in Glasgow
In Ropework Lane, son of a Jewish furrier, one of a large brood.
Aged 8, he was out of school and selling papers
At 9 he was an army drummer boy
Serving in India and South Africa
He fought on the Western Front in WW1
The Winds of Change blow souls across the world

In Toronto, Ontario, he ran a second hand shop…and then
He started doodling with a fountain pen while listening to Mendelssohn.
Once started, he never stopped.
He called his characters ‘evils and greedies'
Set beside symbols of goodness and of truth
Like Dali, Wilson's art works were his babies
At travelling shows, they were for viewing only
Dubuffet & Picasso were his friends
The Winds of Change blow souls across the world

His patterned plates were based on totem poles
His picture ‘Bird Song', chosen as the image
For a seasonal Christmas card for UNICEF
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
And he who is wise wins souls.

Upon his death, a suitcase was located
Underneath his bed, stuffed full of dosh
The rumour that he lived in poverty
Discounted. As a theory it was tosh