On the Road
by Vera Butler
Beggars and thieves they called is,
Romanies, travellers wir chosen neem
Pull the curtains lock the doors
Dae they think thir no seen?
Rap at the door, peer throo the windows
Times are herd and lean.
Roond the hooses we go cap in hand
A hungry, greetin bairn means a hen’s teen.
Run oot o the toon, cursed and chased
A kindly fermer’s wife gaes is eggs and cream
A drystone dyke wae a gressy ditch
Wae can stey the night and dream
O life on the road whar the world is kind
And nature is still wir freen.
| 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 |