Scots poem of the month - December 2006 and January 2007

Kailyard and After When I wes wee I hud tae dae ma share mulkan the kye wi the weemin in the byre; I mind hou I wad scoosh lang streeman jaups that loupit in the luggie makkin froth rise oot frae yon rich deeps. The douce kye skelpit roon thaim wi their tails tae dicht the flees aff; whiles they’d cotch yir lug a fair bit ding: ye’d sweir ablo yir braith. An whiles the wilder yins wad try tae pit their fit intil the luggie an caa ye oot on tae the settles, luggie, stuil an aa … an gin ye didna sett in ticht eneuch there ye wad be, rubbin a sair hainch a loch o mulk aboot ye in the grup, the auld dug barkan an the weemin lauchan tae see yir breeks aa smoort wi mulk and sharn. Man, whit a contrast tae ma life-style nou … nae dungarees, nae luggie and nae kye. Escape to the tailored suit, the pan-loaf speech, the benefits of higher education, the dull rewards of strict conformity. O what a fall was there, my countrymen. By William Neill Poem supplied courtesy of the Scottish Poetry Library

About the poet George Campbell Hay said of William Neill 'Most of Scotland's facets are in his work' as a reading of Neill's ten collections of poetry, spanning more than three decades, and written in Gaelic, Scots and English, will prove. Born in Prestwick in 1922, he was educated at Ayr Academy, spent over 25 years in the RAF, then as a mature student took an Honours degree in Celtic Studies and English at Edinburgh. Awards for poetry have included The Bardic Crown at The Mod in 1969, The Grierson Verse Prize (1970), Sloan Prize (1970) and a Scottish Arts Council Book Award (1985).

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.