I Dream of Wide Green Spaces for Scotland

With the bright French sun against the patio windows,

I was frozen by the smallprint of newpapers  

shipped from home. The worsening situation covered

in the back pages, too soon fallen from the headlines.

Both Scotland and Ireland are purpled with April heather

and water is cupped between their two coasts

like a baptism, I am reading the names,

of young men, managers and old men

Who only share the thin wafer of denomination.

I know Cardinal O’Brien and the Celtic players,

Naill McGinn and Paddy McCourt,

 Paul McBride QC and MSP Trish Godman

all received a bullet secreted in the post,

with the same name and punishment for being,

not Protestant, and parcels with nails, protuding,

all their story lost too soon from the news. 

And I dreamt of a new Scotland, where people

stood shoulder to shoulder, listening

to the beautiful music of another’s sermon,

and playing football friendlies in wide green spaces.

Reviews

[Donald Meikle]

How long? How many bloody years are we to kill or die for Henry the effin 8th?
One horny b*****d's answer to who He can sleep with!
I'm Irish! I'm also Scottish! I was born in Liverpool and will never allow the decision of an English king to rule my life! Wake up you thick Irish idiots, Christianity is not How Celts solve problems!

[MoriartyMesa]

Nice political and culture views, being on the right side of the Atlantic (400 yrs of some off subjection of another people) not too sure if I may have missed something. But this was very radical in its thoughts, and smooth, but not preachy.

[emmajoy]

I recognise this scene, these feelings, each one put so finely to paper or whatever. The news never changes, just the time and place, the names and the total indifference to life-spans normal. Those open spaces are full of runners and walkers, players and talkers .. tis a sad picture of civilisation, tis a tragic summation of what's news one day is hanging in the bog the next.

You write superbly.

[Robin]

I have been pondering how history likes to bury itself , it is especially sad to see when one can still smell the freshly turned dirt .

I like how you opened and closed with images bright and happy , those wide green spaces are there , we just need to keep tending to them .

a lot of heart in your writing , you express your self well .

[arbitrary jane]

i was thinking how to say what i wanted to say here, and then realized emily had found the precise word. this is Important. Significant. you sing songs with heavy meaning.
this feels like a monument.

[Siddhartha]

This bubbles with hope and innocent dreams, Sel amidst chaos and turbulence. I don't personally know most of the individuals but I can connect with the thought and the empathy.

[Neva Flores Smith - Cha..]

This is lovely and sad all at the same time Sel........a very good piece

[Emily B]

your words are so tall, so important