From Source to Sea

In these poems Brian Lawrie has woven a tapestry of granite peaks and plateaux, each poem integral to the other. His deep love for the rugged landscape of the Cairngorms is echoed again and again, lending a sacred feel to the surroundings. The River Dee is also at his heart, his bloodstream, so to speak, with a homage to pine trees reminiscent of Duncan Glen. One cannot help being moved by such detailed attention, a sense of place that is indeed “trenchant under the stars.”

Lochnagar

from a seat dedicated to Mrs Joyce Hall, Countesswells

Did you sit here like me
at the edge of the wood,
not much bothered by anyone,
expectant, wanting your eye again
to be drawn across the skylines,
dwelling perhaps on old favourites,
Clachnaben, Mt. Keen, the hills of home,
suppressing for a moment the tug,
deep in the periphery
of what was being framed
by that perfect symmetry,
but drawn irresistibly there,
knowing what you would see
then seeing nothing but
your gaze held by its transforming power,
a touch of bliss,
the mountains invitation,
lingering, reluctant to go home
to tea and the news
and divided loyalties,
answering dumb questions
about your day,

not wanting to let it go?

Bio: Brian Lawrie was born in Aberdeen and continues to live there. He is married with two sons. His parents fostered an early enthusiasm for the hills of Scotland and he has walked and climbed since, particularly in the Cairngorms. He hopes these poems will reach out to others who feel the magic of a place, wherever that may be.