“Don’t tell me you’re Irish!”
a Scotsman said to me
after he complimented me
on my Scottish-sounding set of names.
I must have winced when he
pronounced me so –
but it is also true
that before the Irish torrent
came to America
that ancestors named
Stuart and Cameron
took root in New Jersey
and the American south
and are part of me
and my American clan.
So I love the skirl of bagpipes.
I own a kilt, and a claymore sword.
I would love to see fog upon
the highland heather,
eat porridge, drink good
Scots brew in Alba’s hills
and embrace the homeland
of my distant kin
on this and all
Saint Andrew's Days.
A contest entry
- A Wee Contest for Saint Andrew's Day by Keith.
700 points, ended December 16, 2008, 6 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 5 of 5
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"Alba's hills" - I like the sound of that. You have given us a lot of stirring Scots (Scotch?) images, a Scots Wha Hae feeling.
jjj
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Good one, Mac. Although I'm Irish born and bred, my maternal grandfather was a Scot (from Burntisland, Fifeshire), who unfortunately died before I was born. So, like you, I have some Scots blood in my veins--Celtic fusion, I guess you'd call it. Lol!
Is mise le meas,
Bill
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Love it(:
I'm irish aha(: -
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Irish is a good thing to be. Not everyone used to think so in America.
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Thank you for an enthusiatic entry, from someone who obviously loves Scotland. To do my bit for Scottish tourism, let me provide you with this link:
http://www.homecomingscotland.com/travel.html
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