blink and you'll miss it

The poets were free, they broke out of their cages,         à   In meh real life Eh micht be a man born in Scottish,

With files made from words, in political rages,              à           Wi' nae pride when ithers hae nae waater and clottish

The rhyme it went “clunk” at the end of their line,        à   Am I, clottish, clottish and glaickit -

Predictably violent for its place in time.                        à   A crazy, clottish, garrulous fake-it.

The poets were free with knives made of ink,                 à   In meh still life meh mither and faither are dyin',

Drunk, half-crazy and alive on the brink,                      à   As ah meh children leh in pain.

With barbed half-pipe and chain in hand,                     à   Meh daughter, meh son and meh wife are cryin',

To draw a ragged line in sand.                                       à   While a paper mirror whispers insane.

The poets broke free, they said watch your back,          à   From meh cortex Eh like to call bad ideas names   

Your front, your side and your gunny sack,                  à   And ill-thocht-oot theories driven beh pride,

But then suddenly they changed their roles,                  à           Or fame-hungry greed and self-involved gemmes,

Lost their hearts and sold their souls.                           à   The religion beh which Eh abide.

The poets were free, but now choose to be chained,      à   In meh hypocrite's life Eh extoll the virtues o' ambivalence,

The poets were wild, but now choose to be tamed,        à   But extend nae such hand tae the poorest o' neighbour.

The inglorious poets, from a distance,                           à   In meh pare life Eh see, the virtue o' charity,

All died and rotted away in this instance.                      à   While ah meh excuses Eh favour.

Cages, rages, violent, barbed,                                        à   Mither, faither, bairns, daughter, son, wife,

Violent, knives, drunk, half-crazy,                                 à   Virtue, charity... other fowk

Barbed half-pipe, chain, rotted,                                     à   Hae done it, so how cannae Eh... 

Chained, tamed, inglorious, died.                                  à   ...jist smile politely and leh.