After Kirrie
We sat-nav under cloud,
which might or might not burn off,
adder our way up Glen Isla.
Through the churchless conundrum
of Kirkton of Kingoldrum
let’s consider an uncertain saint’s well.
Slungback Backwater’s comforts
can’t be enough. Pass misty thick
Balintore’s family hamlet. Just find a name.
We know we no longer count on Inch
as a hard place deep in the marsh.
So how will we know when the loch comes close?
Bridgend of Lintrathen offers half-truths.
Let’s search for falls. We’re not yet lost enough
to realise how very lost we are.
Beth McDonough‘s work connects strongly with place, particularly to the Tay, where she swims. Handfast (with Ruth Aylett) investigates experiences of autism and dementia. Her first pamphlet, Lamping for pickled fish, was published in September 2019 by 4Word Books.