Andrew Melrose, UNITED KINGDOM
Swimming to Fife
Dog tired from the nightshift
The Poems
Swimming to Fife
Give me maps and a compass, some old bones,
a bag full of shells, beach washed pebbles, dried
seaweed, a clear stretch of water, a sunny day and a view
of Scart Rock; it’s okay, you can sleep off the night
shift, while I plan the journey, there’s no rush,
I’ll no’ be far away.Even now I think of you every day.
There will come a time when I won’t. Maybe later,
when dusk settles over the Firth o’ Forth, I won’t hear you
asking, ‘Think we could swim tae Fife fae here?’
‘Aye,’ I always said;
we never did, but that was okay.
*
Dog tired from the nightshift
He dug coal back in then and drank black beer while blue flamed smoke unfurled up the bar chimney. He would watch unquiet strangers flicker in the grate but he never joined in the banter wi’ those who worked on the surface. He was an underground man, unfamiliar, preferring the solitude.
Dog tired from the nightshift, shoulders slumped and weary, when he unslung his pit bag and coat his strong arms opened to let us in.
The Poet
Andrew Melrose is Emeritus Professor of Writing at the University of Winchester. He has over 150 writing credits, including The Story Keepers film series (broadcast in 105 countries worldwide) and 33 books as well as poems, songs, articles and chapters on writing. He is co-editor of the journal, Writing in Practice and international editor on Meniscus, and Axon: Creative Explorations.