James Rose

A rural New Zealander of mostly Scottish ancestry catching glimpses of the old homeland – while in Aberdeen worked at Newton Dee Village.

Poems

HILL OF MINGOLIS

On the hill of Mingolis
there stands a rock
that gave me shelter
from a squall.

For not long,
had we shared
a sun drenched hour,
when dark clouds
lunged from the hill.

Their dirks, a torrent
leaning out,
across the loch.

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DEESIDE

Coursing crystals of ice
jostling,
soft crushing,
candescing,
meandering eastward.

By lowland ways
these pilgrims pass,
yearning out
to sea.

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TARBERT LOCH

Gannets spiral the light shafts
of evening Tarbert loch.
Each takes a turn to plummet,
to sport their hunger
on a fish-bread of ocean
from a cool Atlantic
where west winds blow
and another startled herring
takes flight.

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