Friday 15 November 2013

Never Have I Ever

I have never been to New Zealand
where the sheep outnumber the men
and orks apparently roam free.

But I have been to the old family farm
in Inverness, seeped in centuries
of McKimmie history

though no longer ours.
I have never heard the roar of the
Niagara Falls, as the water cascades down

and the Mounties tell visitors
to keep away from the cliff edge.
But I have heard my Nana

switching between accents:
from Scottish to Bristolian
or Bristolian to Scottish

depending on who she is talking to.
I have never seen the Northern Lights -
pinks and blues and greens

clashing against each other.
But I have played Never Have I Ever
at two in the afternoon

drinking cheap wine with friends
wrapped up in blankets and coats
because we are too broke to turn on the heating.