Ice Floe online
We scrit wir wirds ta mak connection
wi laands whaar eence der wis a link;
dan dirl dem oot alang meridians
tae aa erts roond wir virtual wirld.
Eence uncans cam bi oar or sail:
a lang sea circle vaege, da wirds
maist likely faered. Wir wirds birl
aff a satellites an starns; loup an tirl,
crackle lik Mirry-Dancers i da lift.
We set dem sheeksin owre Arctic distances
ta gently rummel Babel's To'er , an bigg
a hoose instead ta hadd wir difference.
We write our words to make connection
with lands where once there was a link;
then send them zinging along meridians
in all directions round our virtual world.
At one time news came by oar or sail:
a long sea circle journey, the words
most likely feared. Our words dance
off satellites and stars; they leap and twirl,
crackle like Aurora Borealis in the sky.
We set them blethering across Arctic distances
to gently topple Babel's Tower and build
a house instead to hold our difference.
Christine De Luca, Luath Press, 2005
Reviews
- "The poet shows great skill in rendering meaningful Shetland poems from a variety of original sources."The New Shetlander, No. 234 - Yule Issue 2005
- "She has again proved herself to be both a fine poet and a worthy ambassador for Shetland literature."The Shetland Times, September 2005
- "This is poetry to be spoken aloud, allowing the sound of the words to form in the mind."The Herald, October 2005