by Colette Bryce
Roddy Lumsden, one of Scotland’s finest younger poets, will be reading from his work at DCA on Wednesday 5 November, 7.30pm. He will be joined by Patience Agbabi, a leading light in UK performance poetry. For tickets, call the box office on: 01382 909900. Poetry at DCA is organised by the University in collaboration with Dundee Contemporary Arts. To join an e-mailing list for information about Poetry at DCA, and other writers' news, e-mail Colette Bryce, Writer in Residence, at c.y.bryce@dundee.ac.uk
My National Stigma
by Roddy Lumsden
One winter's night in the Princess Louise,
when a brace of shaggy moths flew up
from the depths of my tartan wallet,
the Londoners said they felt ready at last
to ask me The Scottish Questions:
inevitable ones about the kilt, the work ethic,
the repression thing, our fabled gallon bellies.
And no, it wasn’t true that we were mean -
hadn't I just stood a round of halves? -
that was just the silver-shy Aberdonians
and to them, just the Kittybrewster folk,
and to the folks of Kittybrewster, just Nan
and Jim Buchan in their bungalow, tugging
a stray penny between them, inventing wire.
(from Roddy Lumsden is Dead, Wrecking Ball Press)