Poems / Poetry

He’s a braw lad – Ooor Wullie
Read the Sunday Post an’ see
Every single thing that he does
Gaes doon in history

Frae Dundee tae Australia
An’ everywhere he goes
Sunday widnae be Sunday
Withoot his weekly comic shows

He disnae like a haircut
Loves Maw’s hame-made cakes
Temptation’s ower much for him
Every time she bakes

Sunday’s clootie dumplin’
Gaed missing frae the windae-sill
P.C. Murdoch canna tell’m’aff
For he got a slice frae Wull Read more......

Bash Street – the newest in Dundee
Celebrated the 60th anniversary
Of Bash Street Kids – Class 2B
They were a’ there – jumpin’ up ’n’ doon wi’ glee
The kids wir chuffed
Dennis The Menace – wiz affay huffed!

The Headmaster (in robe and mortar board)
Taen it a’abroad
Ordering biscuits and tea
The janitor there tae see
Crumbs were swept (but beein’ lazy)
He broucht the cat tae make it easy Read more......

Dundee meh city, Dundee meh hame
It's whaur eh belang
Fae the Ferry tae Lochee
It's whaur eh whant tae be
In the city o Discovery.

Wha remembers “Napper” Thamson
And his jaunty bus tours
Lavin’ early in the morning’s
Comin’ hame at a th ‘oors

In the fifties – oot for a run
Soakin’ in some summertime sun

Remember ‘Napper’s’ furniture store
Wi fancy goods an’ welcomin’ door
Furniture – toys o’ every kind
Walk roond – mak’ up yer mind

Browse roond – dinna be shy
Naebody’s forced tae buy

Display cabinets – radiograms
Quilts for cots an prams
Single an double beds
Striped flannelette sheets an candlewick spreads Read more......

Doggie needs
Dogs on leads
Stray dogs
Of different breeds
On the pavement
Before my eyes
Dogs freely ‘exercise’

Maist nichts I get the blues
Scraping it
Aff my shoes
 

Wha’s no takin’
Their turn o’ the stair
Wha’s no takin’
Their turn o’ the stair
Dowpies – spent matches
Stour lyin’ there
Oh! Wha’s no takin’ their
Turn o’ the stair

There’s somebody’s washin’
On my streetcher line
There’s somebody’s washin’
On my streetcher line
Socks an’ pyjamas
Nane o’ them mine
Somebody’s washing’s
On my streetcher line

Wha’s no takin’
Their turn o’ the stair
Wha’s no takin’
Their turn o’ the stair
Fluff frae last Seturday
Auld mattin hair
Oh! Wha’s no takin’ their
Turn o’ the stair

Remember wartime ration books
The ingenuity of wartime cooks
Nothing allowed to go to waste
Porridge becoming a familiar taste

Tatties and neeps (stomaches-full)
Peas from the kailpot to chew at school
Remember tops of eggs being taken
For tea – it was no joke
Kids then seldom tasted yoke

Powdered egg in a tin
Less sugar and sweets (more saccharin)
Baked rice, raisins, curds an’ whey
Custard and rhubarb – desserts of the day Read more......

Granda’ passed awa’
An’ they laid him tae rest doon deep
In a shady spot in his cemetery plot
Granny started tae weep

Twa lairs they’d bought a’tween them
Lang time ago
They want’d tae be th’gither
When their time had come tae go

An epitaph for their tombstone planned
We walk’d th’gither through this land

She died last week on Sabbath
But when the earth was being prepared
They found him I’ the tap layer
He’d hae died had he been spared Read more......

Tattie howkin’ in bygone days
Reminiscin’ auld ways
Up i’ the mornin’ wi’ the dawn
Scarcely e’er the cock had crawn
On tractor bogie tae fertile fields
Harvestin’ precious yields

Smell o’ diesel – strictly measured drill
Wicker sculls – strewn tae fill
Muscles achin’ – backs bent
Scatterer scatterin’ wi’ intent
Up ae drill – doon ainither
In a’ different kinds o’ weather Read more......

School teachers – Rockwell
Pupils – Assembly bell
Line-up in school’s playground
March to class for register round

Slateboards – blackboards – exercise jotter
(Teacher’s pet was a little rotter)
Parrot-fashioning times tables
Discovering Alice and Aesop’s Fables

Catch-as-catch-can (playtime games)
Film starts’ initials – guess their names
Skipping ropes – relay races
P.T. – thro’ the paces

Sirens screaming out alarm
Air raids – sheltering from harm
School doctor’s medical – headlice – scabies
Innocence of storks and babies Read more......