In praise of nothing

By Gerry Loose

One of the more interesting and thoughtful writers on nature, landscape and the texture of everyday life Gerry Loose has a new book worthy of your attention, The Unfinished Hut (Play Space, £5 plus £1.50 from the publisher's website). The Unfinished Hut is a series of discursive meditations on the simple, off-grid life, provenance, what it means to be dwelling in place, and close observation of the natural world. Loose has written ‘In praise of nothing’ since finishing the book (and it appears on these pages for the first time) and it acts as a companion piece to The Unfinished Hut’s themes.

in your house there should be nothing your house should be nothing but a hut, a shelter in your hut there should be three shelves, which is all you need the first is for books you cannot remember the second is for herbs and pulses the third is pots, pans and knives the second shelf is highest since though you are happy to share with mice rice and your sheltering books are forbidden there will also be a fire or these days an iron stove, surrounded by logs nothing but logs and kindling you have gathered, felled and split with your own axe and nothing hands maybe your nothing also contains a bucket and cup for nebulous water you understand you have something of nothing which is everything

You can reserve a copy of The Unfinished Hut at the Scottish Poetry Library, 5 Crichton’s Close, Edinburgh, which is operating a ‘Click and Collect’ service as well as free postal loans.reception@spl.org.uk, scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk.