The Wind's Rant

The Wind's Rant: a Fiddlers' Set

                               (For Jen Hadfield)

I. Jen's Delight

Laurie is birling down the bus

round the poles, right, left and off.

What's got into her?

The wind coughs, like a grumpy scorie,

                  who huff puffs

then back-swerves, a frisbie across the sky.

On the school roof, the wind-gauge whirls.

Jeans and t-shirts are flytin' on the washing-line.

A peerie moustache

is whipped up on the ferry's prow.

The world is turning

                   tuning to the wind.

II. Slow Air

The wind from faraway Iceland drives the swell

beneath our feet as the Hendra lifts.

O my God! It's the Stoor Worm yawning.

The wind takes a deep breath from its diaphragm,

          exhales

                   through the hollow aluminium rails.

The wind slides and slurs

         flicking 

                    the grass seeds with grace notes.

The wind dirls on the drystane wall,

                     whispers

                         or hums through the cracks.            

III. Skeklers' Reel

Midnight titters, scuffles at the door.

It dares you to open: 

the joke's on you.

Batten down your roofs!

Net down your rubbish bags!

Pebbles on the peat shed,

driving hail of showers.

Up, down,

                turn around. 

Hold onto your heads!

Veering up the voe, swirling round the salmon-rings,

ripping out the mussel strings,

skerry-skooshing, 

          toft-tearing,

                     rock-wrenching gale.

A fat lady in a  helmet

          and bronze cones for breasts

                   hits the High A.    

   All hell-get-out.

Arms wide embrace the world.

Glossary:

birl - whirl

dirl- vibrate

flytin'- scolding

makkin- knitting

peerie- little, wee

rant-  tune

skerry - rock, submerged in the sea, some of the time

skoosh (Scots) - whoosh

voe -  sea-loch

The Stoor Worm was a sea-dragon in Shetlandic mythology;

Skeklers - were guizers who dressed up in straw-costumes, went round houses and played mischievous tricks

                usually at Hallow-e'en or New Year's Eve. (Trick or treaters is the American equivalent.)

Author's Note:

I am not a Shetlandic (Shaetlan) speaker.  I have picked up words from my visits there and am also indebted to 'The Shetland Dictionary' by John J. Graham (The Shetland Times, 1979, revised 2009).          

Published in the author's pamphlet 'Flout' (HappenStance, 2015).

An earlier version was first published in the Edinburgh Review: Wynd, Issue 30: Autumn, 2010.                           

Home