Christie Williamson

Traveler

.                        for AD

Inner Farne by William Hamilton

He left behind a stone
green seam shining
between grit grey days

what sea did it swim
free from in times
forgotten?

Who did it bribe
to hide beneath
the near sky?

Above Balmaha
the clouds burn
hot, uneven

my jacket
softens the bite
of fire

by the water’s edge
I weigh ballast
to steer me straight.

 

About the writer:
Christie Williamson is from Yell in Shetland.  Since 2003, he has been writing, publishing, and performing poetry in his native tongue of Shaetlan and in English.  His first collection, OoanFeddirs, was published in 2015 by Luath Press.  He lives in Glasgow where he runs Tell it Slant Books.

Image: Inner Farne by William Hamilton. Acrylic on canvas. 36 x 48 inches. By 2018. By permission.