Pupil

The theme this year for National Poetry Day, which takes place on 1 October, is “vision.” The Scottish Poetry Library has commissioned 20 poets to write a new poem that tackles this idea in some way and one of them is Christie Williamson, who explores it in his poem “Pupil.” Williamson was born on Yell in Shetland, and his poem is written in his native Shetlandic. The other poems written for the SPL’S “Champions” project can be read on the Library’s website.

da sunlicht strikes da back o mi een an cuts trow da fug o mi fitful heid an hit’s a dumb dug at canna makk oot da lack

at nae amoont o wirds an windreens can fill wi mair as empty shadoos o da blaand an bluid lost i da boos o sixareens sailed intae smidereens

dis terra firma haes me tinkin lang o dem at’s bön an gien afore as if I feel mi bons sinkin

trow da saft bug o da tapmaest hill whaur someday frysher leegs as mine ‘ll staund aneath da sun an winder still

You can find the SPL’S ‘Champions’ poems on the website of the Scottish Poetry Library, 5 Crichton’s Close, Edinburgh EH8 8DT, which is now open with a Click and Collect service. For poetry enquiries, e-mail reception@spl. org.uk or visit www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk.