Poem of the month - April 2007

Geese Last Spring when the geese flew over I remember searching, searching unable to see them, their farewell cries tugging like a feeling I could not identify. Now I get them at the first whiff of a honk and by the time the skein threads over the horizon I'm there, marvelling at the close, loose V-formation, unravelling then zipping back up, their hundred wings, my heart, beating, carrying us away to an arctic spring of floods and meltwater. Mandy Haggith Poem supplied by the Scottish Poetry Library

About the Poet Mandy Haggith says, 'I was born in Northumberland, have spent my adult life based in Scotland and now live on a woodland croft in Assynt, in the Scottish Highlands. I first studied Philosophy and Mathematics, then Artificial Intelligence, and I spent years trying to write elegant computer programs that could help to save the planet. A decade ago I left academia to pursue a life of writing and revolution, travelling all over the world researching forests and the people dependent on them, and campaiging for their protection. In 2003, I returned to Glasgow University to study for an MPhil in creative writing, gaining a distinction. A poetry pamphlet, 'letting light in', was published in 2005 by Essencepress, and my first book length collection, 'Castings', has just been published by Two Ravens Press. I am currently writing a non-fiction book about paper.' The Book Launch for 'Castings' will be taking place in the Kibble Palace at Glasgow Botanic Gardens at 1:30pm on Thursday 12 April. To find out more, visit the Two Ravens Press website. The Inspiration behind the Poem Mandy says, 'I wrote this poem on a spring morning down at the shoreline on the croft where I live in Sutherland. Bird calls seem to me to be like emotions, often hard to put a name to. As I get older I am becoming more alert to them, and finding them easier to recognise. In this poem, I hope to give a sense that, like geese, emotions come and go, and carry us away, just for a while.'

If you have enjoyed this poem, you can borrow a range of poetry from the Scottish Poetry Library, who also lend by post. Telephone 0131 557 2876 or email reception@spl.org.uk. For an online catalogue, poetry events listings and more featured poems, please visit the Scottish Poetry Library website.