Census: Sock Knitter
by Barbara Johnston
Ah’ll hae tae light the lamp soon
The peedie window is fur no use
I need tae feeneesh this sock afore bed
Me fingers aer sore and reed
The oo is coorse cumman off the wires
Moorit broon, hid’s haerd tae see the loops
I wish I could dae a soft lacy shaal
Bit no berns fur me
Lizzie’s been blissed wae three
Haer wark’s more lightsome than mine
Baekan, hingan oot washeen
Feedan haens, wurkan in the haey
I sit here at the window an knit
Hid’s coorse on me eyes
Ahll need thick glesses like Celia soon
Shae’s nearly blind
Bides in a fine hoose in the toon
Surrounded bae books
I wish I hid time an light tae read
I wish, I wish I hid oo in bonny culurs
A shaal tae keep oot the draft on a winter night
Hoo minny socks hae I tae knit afore hid’s enough?
Maggie an Nell got away – off tae Canada
Hoo minny socks for a passage across
A new life full o possibilities?
I wish…
| Orkney Voices | |
|---|---|
The Orkney Voices Group as hid is noo wis started at the beginneen o 2018. The aim o hid wis tae mak a spaece whaar Orcadian spaekers could finnd weys o writan and spaekan aboot writeen. The idea grew oot o a Scottish PEN project, Many Voices, that encouraged different marginalised groups ower Scotland tae finnd thir voices in creative writeen classes. At the end o the project, the fokk in the Orkney group wanted tae keep gan, so the George Mackay Fellowship (GMBF) agreed tae tak is under thir umbrella. Wir supported be Orkney Library & Archive and Orkney Islands Council Culture Fund. At the end o last year, efter meetan throughoot 2020 and 2021 online, we launched a collection o wark fae the members:Gousters, Glims and Veerie-orums, as the George Mackay Brown Centenary publication fae the GMBF. This haes led tae invitations tae read at a variety o events. In the next few months we will be appearing at Orkney Nature Festival, Orkney Folk Festival and St Magnus International Festival. Gousters, Glims and Veerie-orums, price £10, is available to buy from Orkney Bookshops, Stromness Books & Prints,Tel: 01856 850565; and The Orcadian Bookshop, including online sales from their website: The poems in this group are from members of the Orkney Voices Group. | |
| Census: Sock Knitter | Poem by Barbara Johnston |
| Island life | Poem by Sheila Garson |
| On the Road | Poem by Vera Butler |
| Recipe For a Good Storm | Poem by Ingrid Grieve |
| The Nugget | Poem by Lorraine Bruce |
| The Weather Dance | Poem by Greer Norquoy |
| Whit wir ye thinkan? | Poem by Issy Grieve |