Uninvited Guests

One time television presenter Douglas Kynoch has produced a collection of verse that encapsulates love, loss and ageing. The passing of time is tinged with sadness and moments of tangible grief; none more so than a graveside visit, where nouns take the personas of Wrath, Lust, Envy, etc. But he can be humorous too: in the title poem revealing a secret fear of creepy-crawlies; or when in times of trouble, attempting to phone up God. Precise and syllabic, the poems have a resonance— narrative with an effortless rhyme.

Clematis

Long years of struggle, back against the wall,
Produced no efflorescent joy at all
But merely clumps of unproductive leaf.
These she let tumble down to hide her grief

And clutched despairingly at plants nearby,
As if to ask once more the futile why.
Had not all needful watering been done?
And weren’t her roots stone-screened against the sun?

Familiar hands then pruned her half to death,
Strewing her springtime growth upon the path.
God-given glory, now aroused from sleep
In summer pink perfection, makes me weep.

Bio: Douglas Kynoch has written several poetry collections and also compiled dictionaries and translations of Doric, the North East Scotland tongue. He lives in Aberdeen and is an active member of poetry readings in the city.