The Royal Palace, Stirling Castle Poem by Laurence Overmire

Stunning!

A Renaissance gem

Newly restored to its former
Grandeur
In all of its magnificent
Splendor

The palace looks now
As it might have looked
In 1545

The home of King James V and his wife
Mary of Guise
The parents of Mary, Queen of Scots

Wealthy, learned, sophisticated

These were not crude, barbarian
Rubes
Living in the dark, drab medieval
Spaces of cold, uncultured Europe

Bright colors, ornate tapestries
Rich fabrics
Artful decorations

A ceiling of carved heads
Beautifully painted
Kings and queens of Scotland
Emperors of ancient Rome
Heroes of the Bible

James V became King at
17 months old
After his father, James IV
Was killed at Flodden Field
His mother, Margaret, was the sister
Of Henry VIII

James's palace was his crowning
Glory

A lover and patron of
Poetry and music
He died of an illness
At the age of 30

His daughter, Mary
Becoming
Queen
At 6 days old

They come to life here
Ghosts walking
In the re-enacted flair of
Ages past

Be wary where you step
The Swiss Guard is on
Alert and waiting...

The Palace at Stirling

Of all the extraordinary
Castles in Scotland
This one
Certainly
Should not be missed.

~ Laurence Overmire

(Previously published in The Ghost of Rabbie Burns: An American Poet's Journey Through Scotland, Indelible Mark Publishing,2016)