Fae Dixie ti Darfur
rain in fallujah
blue skies over idaho
blemish on our souls
a wad a wis in dixie
a luve the wurds
antebellum
jambalaya
gumbo
okra
grits
the sangs o steve earle
spanish fogit pecan trees
muckle magnolia bluims
watter snakes an alligators
muinshine
molly hatchett
cajun fuid an creole farin
guid ole boys
the land o cotton
lynyrd skynyrd
zz tap
jack an chairlie daniels
hairper lee
ti kill a mockinburd
thon nascent feelin o injustice
agin the union
southron saltire
rebel yell
a's niver bin in dixie
buit a wad a wis
unitit states o hysteria
efter the twa touers
a wis ramfeeselt an donnert
sae a gang’t fur a coffee
a telt the laddie
nae milk, ane sugar
e got it airse fur elbae
e haed a face at mindit me o veenigar
underpeyed undercless
an no hidin the reid neck
o haen ti weir a strippit peenie an hat
sae a tried ti mak a joke aboot
the sair fecht anent decidin – cake or scone?
buit the line wis lang
there wis nae time fur blethers
a daurk-e’ed quean peyed an taen awaa
er fruit tea an er blaeberry muffin
she sang unner er braith
a line frae girls juist waant ti hae fun
at juist makkit the laddie mair soor
the boy ahint me gied im a ill-ee
e leukit lik a muslim
at micht be cairryin a bomb
- the baistart! -
sae a shot the craw
quick
skailin hauf ma coffee
kisses chainge-na aahin
buit they gey naur did
yon nicht ootside the barracuda
it wis pishin doon
a sax wis pleyin
caurs souch’t by
catchin the baith o us in bricht heidlichts
lik twa staurs frae a ’40s flick
i the blink o an ee
unexpeckit gifts frae an unexpeckit wummin
saft lips
braith rimples
a wat tung
hauns aa promise an
nicht-glamourie
yit… there’s nae room fur sic flichts
in oor warld
nae aise fur mochs dauncin
pouther-winged agin a caunle flame
leivin ti the heichts afore
daylicht can repeat itsel…
sae oor reid mooths shut
an we
twa flichterin sowels
aa smuith an white
sleekit back ti oor ain skins
content ti bide anither nicht
unner anither wecht o rain
canis lupus
whitiver peysin rins the veins o woufs
an draws em ti some aesome bit
ti yowl in flyte wi the muin
rins birnin throu ma veins the nicht
til wanrestfu
sweitin
a rise an reenge oor cairpetit forest
this hoose groun strynge
hoo mony times
hae we maitit oan nichts lik this
rain teemin lik the frantic clauts
o jealous bitches agin the windaes
hoo mony nichts hae ye fed ma greenin
a deleerit hing
wild an raivelt wi tears an yirth
cam in greetin frae the wuids
hoo mony year hae a lat ye scouk
yer anger an yer dule in-o me
a hae leart sae weel hoo eith
ane passion’s spent in anither
an is this luve at stechs itsel
then slups ti some clift apairt
ti gnap the banes o oor myndins
til it tuims
an aince mair grous stilpert an hungert
a scrieve aa this under a fuil muin
the years snashin an berkin et ma heels
lik a pack o hoonds
wallace
ye war an awfu man
a richt bother, in fac
ye an yer gang gaun
stravaigin owre the kintrae
fechtin the polis
aye, a weel mind the nicht
ye gat inti a stour
ootside the cross keys
bi richt they sud hae taen ye then
buit they didnae
naa... ye ay haed the swick o
joukin in an oot
landin a guid punch
then meltin ghaistlik awaa
gin they cud catch ye
there's bin mony a whap
twix then an noo
in touns up an doon the land
some lang-mindit
whiles ithers are lang syne forgot
an e’en tho yer body
haes lang bin quarter’t ti
the warld's fowre corners
ye’re aften ti be seen still
fechtin the polis
in kashmir
iraq
afghanistan
tiananmen square
tormentin tyrants aa’whaur
wi yer muckle sword
feshin wid fur the fire
fuirst hing ye sud dae
matthie ma hert
is dist yersel wi stour
dae-na forget thon swatch oan yer elbae
thae straips o skin ahint yer lugs
here lichtness feeds oan the daurk
whan ye walk
matthie ma hert
walk lik ye've bin tocht
staucht an shairp
dae-na coont the cloods
dae-na kick the stanes
ye sud ken better than ti
chase the wee clocks
there’s no mitch wid ti fesh
a ken
it taks sae lang fur seed ti grou ti fire
an here there’s nae watter left fur grouin
it's owre the heid o that at
we keep oor een peel't
matthie ma hert
fur craws feed oan thaim es tak-na tent
an mooths in aksin end up drouthit
an if in leukin
ye fand a heuk in some lichter body’s hauns
if in runnin ye stummle owre a stane
if in caain the answer steys thrawn an faur
then at is the time ti gaup et the sky
matthie ma hert
at is the time ti shut yer een
es fur masel
frae the saicont yer smaa licht steps awaa
ti the meenit ye return
(oan yer feet? owre anither’s back?)
a’ll be here
matthie ma hert
hunkert on fauchie syle
braith shairp wi yer memory
prayin daith’ll hae forgot itsel
chyngin rooms gangs ti fallujah
the waas wer clairty an streakit
wi bluid at widnae wash aff
e’s son's bluid
frae the nicht the liberators cam
ti liberate them
e got haud o some pent an
shiftit the furnitur awaa fi the waas
e heared jets an explosions in the deestance
an swithert
conseedert juist pittin the can o pent doon
ti sit in e’s seat in the corner
an wait fur hieven ti cam ti im
in anither corner
e’s graundweans couerit
feart
there wis naewhaur else ti hide
the rockets wad fand them onyweys
the pent wis magnolia
e open’t the tin wi a spuin an
deep’t in the brush
e went ti the waa
whaur the bluid wis skaikit
an stairtit pentin it owre
staunin back
e inspeckit e’s wark an kent
it'ud tak mair an ane coat ti
cuir the stain
e curse’t an sput
the bairns leuk’t up
see’d whit their graundfaither seen
an stertit ti howl