HAMISH Whyte's imagined missive to his long-lost uncle is among the poetry contributions to Black Middens: New Writing Scotland 31, a wide-ranging collection of new poetry and short fiction from North of the Border.
More than 90 writers are represented in this year's volume, edited by Carl MacDougall and Zoe Strachan (Association for Scottish Literary Studies, £9.95).
A LETTER TO MY LONG-LOST UNCLE
Why write now, when you're long gone?
Rummaging in the archive box the other day
I came across a photograph of you
in your ANZAC uniform, about 1915,
a sheepish grin memento.
My mother says you were an engineer
building Australia's roads,
some still called 'Berry' roads.
I imagine you, tenement boy spooling into the outback,
or were you more comfortable with city grids?
My grandfather's brother, you're my great-uncle Sam,
eldest of nine, went off down under.
I have a picture and a story and that's enough,
in a world that bleats family family,
that asks who do I think I am,
where Google knows nearly everything.
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