Three Gallus Brithers

Three gallus brithers hit the toon
Big Wullie, Shoo an Sauny Broon
rarin tae coup the bevvy doon
     an the nicht wiz Halloween.

Sauny wis mairrit years langsyne
(Jessie McGuire fae Ochtertyne)
When he wis canned he liked her fine
     an the nicht wiz Halloween.

Wullie wis guid at the boaxin yince
till he got fat oan tatties an mince.
Sundays he'll gie his physog a wee rinse
     an the nicht wiz Halloween.

Shoo wis a genius (ask his maw)
micht o been mair than naethin at aa
but the lassies aye caad his heid fae the baa
     an the nicht wiz Halloween.

Doon tae the harbour, therr's the plan
a hauf dizen bars in a hauf mile span -
three gallus brithers agreed tae a man
     an the nicht wiz Halloween.

Stert wi the Anchor, tip a jaur,
twa in the Ship, and the Harbour Bar,
stoatin an happy as pigs in glaur
     an the nicht wiz Halloween.

Efter the Harbour, the Steamboat Inn
whaur the whusky flows when the fleet comes in
an they caa ye a poof if ye esk fur gin
     an the nicht wiz Halloween.

Efter the Steamboat, shoot the craw.
Jessie'd be waitin, an Shuggie's maw.
But Wullie jist gawpt at the harbour waa
     an the nicht wiz Halloween.

"See thoan wee door, it wisna therr"
says Wullie, "Ah've spent ma life in Ayr
'n it's new. Gaunny keek inside furra dare?"
     an the nicht wiz Halloween.

So they opened the door in the harbour waa -
Guid alane kens whit they thocht they saw
but they grinned tae their lugs an said "this is braw!"
     an the nicht wiz Halloween.

Wullie jouks in the ring wi his fists in the air
an the punters aa gien it "Wullie the berr!"
but the bogle sune plants him flat oan the flerr
     an the nicht wiz Halloween.

Sauny walks doon the aisle wi his Jessie again
but the meenister says "Geeza brek, Jessie hen
ye've hud me an ma faithur an twal' ither men"
     an the nicht wiz Halloween.

An a carlin gied wee Shuggie a kiss.
"Ye're a helluva lad when ye're oot on the piss"
she says, "See in the moarn, ye'll be mindin aa this?"
     an the nicht wiz Halloween.

Noo the waa's still therr but thur's nae wee door
jist the harbour lichts affa Newton shore
an three gallus brithers as bold as before
     an the nicht wiz Halloween.

Year End Ballade

Make the best of Hogmanay!
It's never easy, but we try.
Should we drink the night away
or count the seconds as they fly
towards the bells that signify
the moment we've been waiting for
when we can raise the age-old cry -
another year, another war.

Send your sons into the fray.
No need to worry. We apply
elastic combat rules that say
only civilians have to die.
Geneva's dead and buried. Why
pretend to love the rule of law?
The cynic heart can justify
another year, another war.

Refugees are tedious. They
fade from the papers by and by.
If thousands die along the way
we never asked the fools to fly.
Our bombs are clean, our alibi
is ignorance, our metaphor
for death is damage; so, we buy
another year, another war.

Girls and boys, come out to ply
the evil trade we so abhor.
Our actions give our words the lie -
another year, another war.

speak

of fables turning around
in the mind  taking the place
of promise  pulling today
far away from reason   face

tomorrow  though you know why
it is shy  hidden behind
grey pillars  keen to conceal
the unreal unready   find

another movement of time
in the mime played for your eye
by memory   stretch to accept
your inept redemption   try

denial   everyone knows
how it shows gold for a spell
in sunlight  then disappears
in a drear november   tell

your children all you recall
of the fall of strong and weak
together  how there was no-
where to go  no need to speak