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. Published in the author's pamphlet 'Flout' (HappenStance, 2015). An earlier version was first published in the Edinburgh Review: Wynd, Issue 30: Autumn, 2010. 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). Home |