Poem of the Day: Scaffold by Hamish Whyte (1 Viewer)

TEESSIDE SCAFFOLDER

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http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts_ents/15121529.Poem_of_the_Day__Scaffold_by_Hamish_Whyte/LIKE the scaffolders of his poem, who make the artistry of their skills look easy, Hamish Whyte offers both wisdom and quiet sophistication in his informal verses. This piece comes from his latest collection, Things We Never Knew (Shoestring Press, £10). Publisher and poet Whyte was born near Glasgow but is now based in Edinburgh. He retains his west-coast connection as an honorary research fellow in Scottish literature at Glasgow University.

SCAFFOLD

Any scaffold’s a dangerous
construction.

These four men as they climb

two storeys to the roof

are so practised they hook

us like circus performers.

They’re so relaxed they can afford

to be daft: one hangs over

and swings his arms like a monkey;

one leans nonchalantly rolling

a cigarette.

A piece of planking floats upward

like an Indian club, casually

caught with one hand by the man

at the top, the only one without

a hard hat, the one who slots the poles

in the holes with unfailing

accuracy.

There’s a moment of rest; they pose

one above the other as if for

an illustration in a picture book.

They’ve reached that pinnacle

of art, making the difficult look

easy-peasy.
 
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