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Mary Sheila Macrae
Born in Glasgow of Skye parents and brought up on the Island. Now living in Aberdeen after graduating at the University (MA 2000, Arts and Social Science). Other interests include Gaelic/Scots Music and Language, Celtic, Scottish/Irish History and Folklore.
Poems
THE CALM
To walk your shore this cool grey morn,
Land still, shrouded in dew,
The cry of a gull breaks the new day dawn,
Sea calm after yesterday's storm.
There is no place or time here but one great stillness,
Quietness enfolds your dark grey hills,
Mist fills your corries tenderly caressing,
The slopes of your mountains now at peace.
Freshness of air in the spate of Autumn,
September rain clears my eyes,
The calmness of you, gentle, tender,
Evokes tranquillity deep inside.
Warmth surrounds me now my Island,
I return to my leaving shore,
Storms of my past are far distant,
Welcome me, back to your fold.
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THE CLEARING
Where have they gone? The men of the Naver,
As darkness enshrouds the land,
Deep amber glow of a fiery hillside,
Smoke, fear, a childs plaintive cry.
High the cliffs above Rossal,
Factors driving them out,
Homes vanish in sheer desolation,
Blackened land by force of power.
The wail of the women heard in the distance,
Snow drifts through the empty Strath,
Where will they sleep now? I wonder,
Ah! 'The Will of God' dare we ask.
How did it happen? Our good people,
Passive, gentle, kind,
What's in the mind of Loch at Dunrobin,
Where his Countess always stands by.
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THE MONSTER OF THE NORTH
What have you done to the blue green sea?
Monster of the North,
Maligned presence forever lurking,
Threat to our dear land.
Land that's suffered plenty,
Monster of the North,
People cold, starved,
Broken hearts, driven far.
What have we done to deserve this,
Monster of the North,
Pollution, we can live without,
As we complete our daily tasks.
Surrounding you is beauty,
Monster of the North,
Leave now, it's not too late,
Before all life is lost.
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ESCAPE
Alone I wait in the steel grey City,
Asleep, weary from the bustle of day,
Shadows of darkness, feelings of haunted,
Ghosts of the past catching up with me.
Captured was I, his charm his aura,
Deceitful, false, with promises new,
My home I left, my friends my people,
Escape to you My Dear Green Place.
'City of Lights' how I love your solace,
Safe, protected by your pulsating strength,
Beating in time with my long lost heart,
To the music I heard when I first drew breath.
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THE OTTER
I wonder what life holds for you?
Little friend of land and sea,
Foolish question with little wisdom,
As you respond to your mothers glee.
Listen to your cry in the darkness,
I must now leave you be,
It's good you have found your own now,
Goodbye my friend, remember me.
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