the rock

(for Dad)

the sidlaw hills

Sit on the rock,

Tak in the view,

Catch yer breath,

Doff yer cap tae death,

The white clover, the purple heather,

The golden fields o' rape,

Each silver moth,

Each poppin' gorse,

The green, the green,

Then tae blue, blue.

Then you'll ken God,

An' see her horizon,

The ethereal shelf,

Whaur certainty lies,

Burst open an' motionless,

In the boattom o' jars,

Next tae science, religion,

The moon an' the stars.

Sit on this rock,

An' tak in the view,

There's nane finer,

Fae here tae Kathmandu,

There's nane finer,

An' nothin' better tae do.

kathmandu

The Perthshire Pissant

The Perthshire Pissant was his name,

And urination was his game,

He’s pissed more places than money can buy,

And he’ll piss in some more before we all die.

He’s pissed in more places than money can buy,

He’s pissed on the Castle, the London Eye,

He was pissed when he pissed on Buckingham Palace,

But not when he pissed in the Holy Chalice.

He pissed on King, he pissed on Milton,

He pissed on Ghandi and Peter Shilton,

He pissed up a wall and watched it run down,

He pissed on his dog and watched it drown.

Throughout every city in the nation,

He has pissed in every railway station,

And every bus driver that leaves the shop,

Can smell his piss before seeing the stop.

He pissed on the bins and up against trees,

He loved the sound of it running down eaves,

He pissed in doorways of office blocks,

He pissed off of the pier and into the docks.

He pissed on his Mum and pissed on his Dad

Who prayed that his pissing was only a fad,

He even pissed on his poor old Gran,

All over her head, then away he ran.

Yes, he pissed on his family and pissed on his friends,

Why the boy could even piss around bends,

He could piss on something and make it bounce off,

And hit something else before hitting the trough.

He pissed on the seat and he pissed on the floor,

But a bigger piss than ever before,

Where once you could walk, you now had to wade,

And the more he pissed, the more piss he made.

The more he pissed, the more he wanted to,

The bigger the stream, the more he’d brew,

His aim became to submerge the earth,

If he couldn’t do that,  he’d settle with Perth.

The Perthshire Pissant was his name,

And urination was his game,

But then suddenly God took his urge away,

And "BANG!"
He hasn't pissed once to this very day.

Ma's Guid Auld Workin' Class Philosophy

Eh'll smash yir face in,

See if Eh dinnae.

How mither,

Ye cannae understaun',

They managed tae turn,

Ma guid auld,

Aristoatle,

Intae a pile,

O' twisted crap.

Shut yer cakehole,

Eh'll smash yir face in,

See if Eh dinnae.

The Poetics of Aristotle - translated by SH Butcher

Urban Decay

Oh, what fun,

Urban decay,

The tips point down,

And a profound friendship,
 Ignites from pain and absurdity.

A profound friendship,

Never to decay,
Never,

Never to be lost,

Even in life,
Even in death,

I'll have you believe,

Oh, what fun,
Urban decay,
And the tips point down
And there's you and I.

That Explosive Moment

There is a moment,

When ye run intae a bus,

Flat oot on foot,

Right intae the side,

O’ a movin’,

Double-decker.

Comes…

That explosive moment comes,

When ye realezz,

Yev run intae the side,

O’ a movin’ bus,

An’ you might no be deid.

Ye didnae look and…

Wi’ a crunch,

Ye instantly kent,

That ye wir there,

In the moment,

But might no be,

In a moment.

What’s the damage?

But ye dinnae ken,

Yev just run intae a bus.

Jist like that moment,

In the park,

Walkin’ the doag,

In the moarning mist,

When uncle said,

Is that voddie in that boattle,

Yer pretendin’ is lemonehd?

And you realezz,

He kens it ah,

That explosive moment,

Comes,

Comes wi’

Nano-whatwillyedaenow,

Nano-whatwillbetheconsequences

Now?

And,

Yer suddenly freed.

Just like that moment,

Fleetin’ but coloassal,

You stood in the hoaspital,

Starin’ doon coarridore,

Numb an helpless,

At ah the brightness,

O’ the tunnel,

And the places we go,

When we’re no here anymare.

Suddenly freed.

Eh ran intae a bus nn aa,

Aye, Eh ran intae a bus, tae.

The moment

Suddenly freein’ me,

Thir’s blood an’ athin’,

Shock an fear,

But yer suddenly freed,

It’s worth it aa,

Cos yer, 

Suddenly freed,

Ye suddenly feel yersel’,

An yer free,

Filled wi freedom.

Aye,

Eh ran intae that bus nn aa.

The Sidlaw Hills

My heart lies under,

A small patch of land,

Not mapped by satellites,

To which I have the rights,

A postage of Angus,

In the countryside,

I know the quarry,

And discovered the rocks.

Don’t let anyone say,

That they were there before me,

I was the first and I’ll be the last,

On my small mental holding.

I was scratched by the gorse,

And I married the heather,

The white clover burns my soul,

On the little patch of Angus,

To which I’m tethered.

My dad was there with his dad,

Forgetting about everything,

They roared in silence,

About the myth of accession,

Laughed and derided,

The prison of possession.

My dad was there with his dad,

Forgetting about everything,

They roared in silence,

About the myth of accession,

Laughed and derided,

The prison of possession.

But I possess my little patch,

And it possesses me,

Locked together as one,

Eternally.

My father is there,

And he and I,

Share tea from the fire,

And views by and by.

Yes my heart lies under,

A small patch of land,

Bang on those Sidlaw Hills.

To a Bee

Thir’s a bee oan yer back Churchie,

Thir’s a bee oan yer back,

But ye wouldnae really want me,

Tae say that.

You ken better,

Coz ye spoke tae The Man,

An’ Eh jist didnae treh hard enough,

Or Eh’m jist no in yer plan.

Well thir’s still a bee oan yer back,

An' he’s crawlin’ aboot,

An' mibbe gonnae sting,

He wiz happy ootside,

But then in he flew,

Tae find esel’ oan yer faithful pew,

Lehin’ there oan you, oan you,

Wha tells me whit tae think,

When aw that Eh can think right now,

Is will the stinger sink?

Thir’s a bee oan yer back Churchie,

But Eh’ll keep it tae m’sel’,

Seein’s you ken better whit’s goin’ oan,

An’ you ken better wha’s goin’ tae Hell.

Well, he’s still there Churchie,

An dinnae you look daft,

Wi’ that wee buzzer crawlin’ ah aboot ye,

Baith in yer best Sunday gaffe,

Ye can tell iz whit tae say,

An’ ye can tell iz whit Eh cannae,

Ye can mak oot that ye dinnae shite,

An’ that ye’ve never had a fanny,

But wee Buzzy’s goin’ naewhere,

In front o’ whaur Eh’m sat,

An’ he’s no such a hypocrite,

Like Burns was no nae twat.

But Eh couldnae care less for nothin’,

‘Cept right now for that bee,

Eh hope he doesnae fleh awa’,

Afore anyone can see,

Eh hope he stings you in the heid,

And gies you michty woe,

Then Eh’ll believe the scriptures,

O’ reapin’ whit ye sow.

The Deid Goarse in a High Wind

Like the deid goarse in a high wind,

Meh love an’ fear, they burn,

Like the heid coarpse wha hauf sinned,

Baith, they twist an’ turn.

Meh love an’ meh fear, meh grace an’ meh hatred,

Meh compassion an’ meh selfishness,

Meh respect an’ meh meanness o’ spirit,

Meh desire an’ meh desire,

Eh can see it aw, there.

Like the deid goarse in a high wind,

Meh desire an’ desire, they burn,

Meh addiction and abstinence,

Desire an’ desire,

Like the deid goarse ablaze,

Annihilatin’ athin’

In its road,

Reclaimin’ athin’

Tae nothin’ but,

The black and the grey,

Makin’ athin’,
 Simple again.

Burnin’, blazin’, ragin’,

That deid goarse gaes up,

Like a fuckin’ toarch,

Ablaze, oan fire,

Like meh desire.

The hoarses manes oarange demons,

Hear the crackle through the thunder,

As they stampede wi’ solar flair,

From whaur asunder?

The riders tak the form,

O’ the chokin’ smoke,

Which maks a grown man creh,

Spinnin through the wind,

Afore turnin’ quick tae deh.

Like the deid goarse in a high wind,

Goes the deid goarse in a high wind,

An’ there’s nothin’ like it,

Tae pit a man in his place.

The First Voice Ye Hear

The first voice ye hear,

Act oan it, act oan it,

Let the second be mackin' the plan.

Let the first face ye think o’,

Be o’ the bairn,

Let the second face be o’ yer Mam.

The first thought ye hae,

In the moarnin’ light,

Let it be miracle world.

Combined wi’ closed ehs for less lucky souls,

Afore ye are even unfurled.

The last thought ye hae,

Dwell on it, dwell on it,

Mak share the crowd’s no a fake.

An efter a’ that,

Sleep oan it, sleep oan it,

An Eh’ll still be here when ye wake.

It Startit

This was how it startit,

In an instant burst wie bliss,

And this was how it endit,

Framin’  shit and piss.

Framin’ ah the faecal matter makin’ up the man,

Framin’ ah the shit an’ piss an’ life flushed doon the pan.

Authomania

The sordid in your soul so rare,
That only you can see,
The sordid in my soul so rare,
But naebody writes like me.

But naebody can write like me,
Naw,
Naebody can write like me,
Come ane,
Come aw,
Come an see,
Cos naebody can write like me.

Ye high-class plume,
You must assume,
Eh'm whaur Eh waant tae be,
But Eh've only just stepped in the room,
An there's naebody here but me.

Come wi yer femily,
Stoap an stare,
View the freak that spells out free,
Catch what it's like,
Tae hae nae fears,
When naebody writes like me.

The sordid in your soul so rare...
Nae manners an nae artifice -
Nae manners an nae fuckin artifice -
But naebody writes like me,
Naw,
Naebody writes like me.

Jist as Eh Wiz

Eh'm jist as Eh wiz, freend,
Eh'm jist as Eh wiz,
Jist as stupit and jist as confused,
Eh am, jist as Eh wiz.

Eh'm jist as Eh wiz,
When we were thegither,
Laughin' an' shootin' the breeze.
Ehm jist as Eh wiz,
When we were alane -
Ye can still trust me...
Eh'm jist like a wiz...
Eh'm nae different.

Eh lost meh narrative track again,
Jist like Eh did back then,
When we nirly pissed wersels.
Eh'm jist like mehsell 'cept aulder.

Sae greetins,
An' salutations tae ye,
It's moi.
'Member me?
Eh remember you.

Epiphany

Eh realezzed  that Eh hid tae dae,

A deal wi' Goad,

Eh realezzed that Eh could,

Dae a deal wi' Goad,

That Eh hid somethin' tae bargain wi',

An' the abilitae,

Tae imagine him.

Eh did a deal wi' Goad,

Eh wid believe in meh creation,

In return fir the abilitae,

Tae occupeh meh time,

Wi' exacktly whit Eh wanted,

Tae occupeh meh time,

Wi'.

Except for shoart periods geed-up tae reflection throoghoot the day,

And Sundays gi'en ower tae praise an' contemplation.

Eh've done a deal wi' Goad now,

An' Eh'll maybe see ye oan Sunday,
But no in the Kirk,
Coz he's no there.

The Pictchur Above

See that wee man,                                          Do you see that small man,
On the bike,                                                       On the bike,
That's me.                                                          That's me.

An' later in life,                                               And later in life,     
I had a Volkswagon,                                      I had a Volkswagon,
Wi' a wing mirror.                                         With a wing-mirror.

This wee spedder,                                          This small spider,
Cah'd Freida,                                                    Called Freida,
Youst tae bide in the mirror,                    Used to live in the mirror,
Came oot in the sun.                                     Came out in the sun.

Me an' Freida,                                                 Freida and I,
Had a blast,                                                      Had a great time,
In that Polo,                                                     In that Polo,
Buzzin' aboot,                                                   Driving around,
An' buzzin' aboot.                                                And driving around.

Then came the cresh,                                  Then came the crash,
That lost pare Freida,                                 That lost poor Freida,
An' the mirror -                                             And the mirror -
Her hale hame,                                             Her whole home,
Went spinnin,                                               Went spinning,
Doon the brae,                                              Down the hill,
Pare wee thing,                                             Poor little thing,
Spinnin doon the brae.                                         Spinning down the hill.

Eh'll eyewiz remember ye,                                    I'll always remember you,
Wee Freida,                                                   Little Freida,
Ma wee spedder,                                         My small spider,
An' ma bike,                                                  And my bike,
An' ma Polo.                                                 And my Polo.

An' ah that graffiti,                                    And all that graffiti,
On the corrugated door,                         On the corrugated door,
That ever since,                                                 That ever since,
Eh've tred tae emmulate,                                     I've tried to emmulate,
Wi' nae luck,                                               Unsuccessfully,
In these faecal verses,                                      In these shitty verses,
Spinnin' doon the brae.                         Spinning down the hill.

Habitual Cynicism

We,

We kerry roond,

The greatest pehn,

The sherpest thoarns,

The heaviest stanes.

That pehn o’ desire,

For a repeat experience,

The pehn o’ longin’,

O’ missin’,

Whaur a second lasts eternity.

We ah miss somebody,

Yer Ma or yer Da,

Yer bairns,

Or yer brother or sister,

Yer freens,

Or yer doag.

A song or a view,

The company o’ a freenly face,

A feelin’ in the pit o’ yer gut,

A freedom fae yersel’.

We,

We kerry roond,

The greatest pehn,

No rich,

No poor,

No stervin’,

No overfed.

The greatest pehn,

O’ crehin’ an crehin’,

Dear Christ,

Eh miss ye,

Dear Goad,

Eh miss ye.

An’ if ye only kent,

If ye only felt the same weh,

Right at that moment,

When Eh felt that weh,

Wid get rid o’ it,

Baith o’ us,

Deid or alev,

That terrible pehn,

That awful desire,

Pehnful,

Longin’,

Awful,

Empty,

Crimson Psychosis

Eh knocked this ane oot,
Fir the smell,
O' the period,
O' crimson and lilac,
Which possess me,
To shiver ah ower,
Shiver,
For That,
Which winnae,
Come again,

As the flesh,
And the time,
Has cheenged,

It winnae come back,
Cannae come back,
But it has - deformed,
Askew,
Incongruous,
Representit,
By its ane shadow,
Which is never enough,
Rapin' iz, grabbing iz,
Mauling, fondling,
Immersing, suffocating,
Lovin-in,
Thae deep crimson smells,
In thae deep crimson wells,

An' Eh suffocate,
In this bliss,
This crimson memory,
This lilac Hell,
For only bein' hauf.