I'm not going to post all my NaPoWriMo poems on this blog. But I thought I'd post this first one, a parody of Alastair Reid's iconic and justly admired poem, Scotland.
You can read Alastair Reid's original poem and the story of its dramatic burning, at the StAnza website.
Scotland
after Alastair Reid
It was a day common to this corner of the planet,
when daffodils bent double in the sleet and wind,
and black umbrellas shattered in the hand.
Spring lay buried in dirt. Greyness entered
the skin. I pressed through empty Sabbath streets –
the nation was shopping in the malls, or choosing
Swedish furniture to compensate for the woodchip
on its walls. I found a Starbucks and a woman
of uncommon beauty behind the counter.
‘What a morning!’ I cried. ‘Why not try an extra shot
of espresso?’ she replied. ‘It’s just the day for it.’
Her smile brightened the hour, and meant
‘Now pay for it, and pay for it, and pay for it.’
