Two Poems By Donald Alland
Cold
we wud leave thi chippy
wi the shite leftovers
in a poky hat
n as it got dark
thi lamp lighter
wud dump his fuel
luminous putty
we wud pick it up
in oor haunds n spit
n thi guy wit cud hawd his haund
thi laingest wiz thi winner
we wud chew thi tar
fae thi road
also
Glaswegian Survival Guide
mah furst beginnin
wen ah wis ainly eight
wis tae lern tae be a teddy boythey hud th fancy claithes
wi big laing jaikets
n chains n brogues
they wir mah saviours
cuz Glesga wis full a anger
in the Gorbalsn thairs mair
ah wis goin tae thi barras
wi mah da
we stoaped tae git
sum roasted peanuts
under thi wee railway bridge
n we saw twa teddy boys
draggin a boady
wi is nose in the tram tracks
ah couldnae look away
ah wisnae skertoan thi way hame
near oor close
ah heerd sum shoutin
doon by the midden
wiz a wee fight goin oan
mah fren says it wiz
thi catholics in oor tenement block
n ah ran n dumped thi midden
lookin fae empty cans
n wee sticks
tae make a hatchet wi
tae thrae at the catholics
fir nae reason atawafta ah threw ma hatchets
n stood up tae see wa wiz gaein oan
sum catholic threw a brick
hit me in the heid
ah still huv thi scars
Donald Alland was born and raised in Glasgow's Gorbals, and moved to Canada in 1958. He once had a fantastic printing company called Alland Graphics, and later worked at Uof T Press. Now he is retired and apparently writing brilliant poems in his heid.