PICKINGS

Poetry from NHI publications

nae tunnels stannin' on their ends are they no like the skyscrapers interferin' wi' the cloud formations an' strainin' tae lick the moon the hooses piled up as if gaspin' for air but kids canny play stacked on top o' each other. nae need to go doon tae the subway a' the streets are tunnels wi' a great slab o' grey sky for a roof their big black sides vibratin' an' talkin' tae other countless holes an' a hundred closes devour a thousand weans. admission's free tae these galleries of childrens' art decorated where the painter left aff framed in the joints o' grey ashlar stane an' no even wan o' them for sale brightness in dull streets midst dulled adult minds.
GEORGE WILLIAMSON