Poetry is a universal language

Earning praise from folk singer Karen Matheson rightly makes Perthshire bard Thomas Brown proud, and he was delighted to see her picture in Craigie recently.

Thomas, of Bankfoot, says: “Karen was one of the wonderful people who received samples of my poems and I have to say Karen so kindly acknowledged, which pleased me. I have been a fan of Karen since she first fronted the famed Gaelic group

Capercaillie. I just fell in love with her lovely voice and with that I am in good company, for Sean Connery was so inspired by her vocals.

“Being such a fan of Karen, I’ve read about her glowing career which began, as with so many artists, with humble beginnings and I found out that Karen’s voice was first heard as a child in her native Taynuilt surrounded by Argyll’s majestic mountains.

“In fact, in one of her most recent albums, Still Time, there is a photo of Karen as a child. I could hardly begin to speculate on all of Karen’s many achievements, but her fans – I am proud to be one – are both home and abroad. She truly is international.

“Karen is no stranger to Perthshire. I recall when she performed at Killiecrankie for the Highland Sessions, but she is so wellknown on BBC Alba with Celtic Connections and other music programmes.

“When I wrote my last small book of poems, Unto The Hills, it was a must for me to highlight Karen in a poem called Praise, in which my heart poetically went out to this lady of song and to her husband Donald Shaw. I am proud of the words, which were inspired by thinking of Karen’s voice against a Highland scene – such a lovely voice to match the landscape.”

Tam’s verse includes the lines:

“When the sun departs

“And the red turns the sky,

“Then to hear this lady sing

“Would make an angel cry.”