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Laurie Chetwood Mar 2018
at the top
of the National Museum,
there is a bed of Highland Gorse,
tamed by a rope of metal, and
given Latin names.

*****, moon white branches
barely hold
sickled leaves which
fall into gloam drenched soil.

transplanted, and
awkwardly placed,
between two concrete slabs,
it looks and sounds alien to the city.

displaced, amongst the dull
incomprehensible squeal of
tourists and gulls, the heavy
roar of dim traffic, muted
bagpipes and the occasional
camera click.

looking upwards,
the shallow blue north
of an uncluttered sky,
and the thin
uneven line of an aircraft,
divided in two.
National Museum of Scotland, written across a period of four days.
unnamed May 2017
you ask me about my dreams through the rear view mirror and making me realise that to give me success you had to let me go, flooding me with endearing idioms
when your eyes look behind I'm there in an elusive way
telling me that I'm your weakness through old-sounding playlists in a new-smelling car
and I'm making you laugh as sweet as artificial strawberry over coffee in a part of the city that you don't know well, the part that I love
together we could take this place over, if you like
be concerned about where I'm going and how safe I will be, but I am staying, now you know, do not forget
I am making you happy but not in a place you need, so from May to December lets go west, far, to where your heart lies
I never thought I would publish this but here we are
Chris Thomas Apr 2016
In Edinburgh,
Where all her colors were born
Where blues grazed her eyes
And every lavender was torn

In Edinburgh,
Where lips of violet were pursed
Where the greys all surrendered
And the Lothians touched her first

In Edinburgh,
Where cobblestone formed her feet
Where her kiss swept through meadows
With windswept hair like golden wheat

In Edinburgh,
Where her roots took hold in the moors
Where her innocence first trembled
And nimble toes danced along shores

In Edinburgh,
Where her sins became my daydream
Where a tomorrow may never come
And her love only flows downstream
R Dickson Jan 2015
I'm just back frae The Kirk
Doon Canongate way,
Afore yi get tae Parliament,
That was brand new yesterday,

Way back tae the 1700's
A poet in his grave,
Fergusson the poetry man,
He couldnae be saved,

Banging his heid  in a fa'
Tumbling doon a' the steps,
Hadnae sterted livin' yet,
His poetry had some depth,

Rab trained as a minister,
He abandoned fir poetry,
At the age of twenty two,
With no heart for the ministry,

He took a job as a copyist,
Tae earn a crust tae live,
Probably hated it,
So much poetry for tae give,

If he wis alive the today,
He'd be pertying in Ibiza,
DJing wi' the discs,
Rapping like a geeza,

He was only 24,
At Cape Club he'd dae a gig,
I'm sure he enjoyed himsel',
It's something that he did,

After the fa',
Darkly melancholic,
Depression followed,
He  wisnea an alcoholic,

Straight to Edina's loony bin,
Then ca'd Darien House,
On Bristo Street used to stand,
Can't think what'd be worse,

He was born in 1750,
Died penniless in '74
Unmarked grave in Canongate,
Nae headstane was in store,

Many years later,
Head stane was selected,
Rabbie Burns inspired,
Was paid fir an' erected,

The date upon the stane was wrong,
Hopefully wis being changed,
By Robert Louis Stevenson,
But died before old age,

Grave is now restored,
Tae it's former glory,
Ironwork and stane cleaned,
But it's no the end o' story,

A statue wis erected,
On the street ootside the Kirk,
The way they positioned him,
He's on his way tae work,

You'll see the Parliament building,
If you wander doon the road,
Poems and poetry on the wa's
But none in Fergusson mode,

It seems he's been forgotten,
In this day and age,
Someone with his talent,
Wan o' Edina's greatest sage,

Let's hope we'll see his poetry,
On Scotland's parliament wa,
I dinae mean graffiti,
I mean poetry fir a'.

— The End —