Seasonal Stories and Poems by Glasgow Writers.

Shaking Hands With Christmas – Brian Whittingham

The Quilt and The Book, Christmas Day The Ball and The Boots, Boxing Day A Christmas Trilogy THE FIRE AND THE TREE Christmas-Eve. Mum cleaned the grate of yesterday’s fireplace replenished it with crumpled newspaper, kindling, adding course-coal she lit, gently puffing her cheeks, blowing to fan the new-born flame. She’d stand the coal-shovel against […]

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To Move On – short story by Samina Chaudry

(Image by Hans Benn) To Move On (Also published in Scottish PEN) Riz came out of the kitchen holding an oven tray. He put two chicken legs on her plate. It was pink in the middle when she cut through it. He looked up from his plate as he forked a mouthful of the chicken […]

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Hopes and Fears by James Connarty

A Christmas Story by James Connarty Joe went to Bethlehem once. It wasn’t Christmas Eve though. It was the height of Summer and he’d had to douse himself with insect repellent to keep the mosquitos from biting his face aff. His pals thought he’d cracked up, using his redundancy money like that – a mid-life […]

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Tak Tent (Take Care) Christmas video – Janet Crawford

‘A wee Christmas wish…take care and all the best for 2021’ Janet Crawford Janet Crawford is a Falkirk based writer. ‘I write about the stuff I see, the issues that get to me and those which make my heart soar.’ Janet Crawford on Twitter

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Ice on Loch Lomond a poem by Catriona Malan

(Photograph by Mike Taylor) That was the winter the loch froze over stealing reflections from the hills, and laying its pale shawl on their shoulders. Islands, feeling they were trapped, huddled sullen in the cold as the wind shaved the bracken of their skin. But the postman skated that squeaking plain sensing, beneath his blades, […]

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Onion by Leela Soma – vegetable inspired poetry

Onion A perfect bulb of crystalline beauty growing in the darkness of the earth petal by petal, gentle stalks of green showing up in the sun, a promise of a taste to enhance cuisines around the world. A humble root vegetable makes us tear up with no hurt, reveals no core, layer upon layer peeled […]

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Goldie by Pat Byrne

There’s a small glen not far from our house. On a good day I go up there to read my paper. It’s quiet in the mornings apart from the odd person out walking their dog. Sometimes I sit for a while and watch the rabbits or maybe a fox – there tends to be more […]

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Autumn Makes Me Sad by Muriel Baker

Autumn Makes Me Sad   Seasonally Associated Disorder Referred to as SAD by those who think they know, that a little lack of sunshine makes us feel like forty degrees below. It’s a chemical imbalance. Think of hibernating mammals. We have the same inclination. So until the clocks change to longer days. It will be my […]

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The Big Chair – Autumn Voices – Robin Lloyd-Jones

Robin Lloyd-Jones And what a big chair it was! Robin Lloyd-Jones looked like a pixie – size wise that is! Loved the concept of the Big Chair. Looking at six photographs selected from your life would really tax anyone methinks. Probably reveal a side of you never before realised. Robin started with a photo of […]

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The Last Leaf – a poem for Autumn by Catriona Malan

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Summering by Nina Quigley

A Summer Poem by Nina Quigley SUMMERING 26/7/14 Rain creeps quietlyinto my consciousnessfrom the open windowas I waken to a soft dayafter several torrid days of heat. For once in Irelandthe hot sand burned our feet,and we had to hop sharpishdown to the water,to spend languid periodsof uncharted timeswanning about in the salton body boards,being […]

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A Summer Story – Full Circle by Leela Soma

Full Circle Saturday 23 rd. August 1969, a day to remember, forever. They waved me off to my new life in Glasgow. My mum and the whole family. Tears glistened in their eyes, mine filled with tears and a nervous chill spread across my spine as I settled into the Air – India seat. The […]

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Mary Irvine: The Whistle

The Whistle  I had set my alarm to ensure I was up in good time. I am normally up well before 7am but this morning was extra-special. I turned on the radio and waited, listening to the scene being set. At 728 am I stood in remembrance of an event of 100 years ago. A […]

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Shy Wolf by Nina Quigley

On a recent visit to Ireland I met my friend Nina Quigley and we had a great chat on the topic of writing. I learned that Nina had branched out from writing poetry and had written some short stories. When I told her about the Sad and Happy Summer Stories and Poems I had been […]

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Summer Reality – two poems by Brian Whittingham

Hi Ho Hi Ho Trident’s Got To Go and The Boys of The Somme HI HO HI HO, TRIDENT’S GOT TO GO by Brian Whittingham On YouTube a 60’s newsreel. A black and white Dunoon. A smartly dressed Ban the Bomber waves a To Hell with Polaris  placard reminding us that H stands for Hiroshima […]

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A Summer Poem: White Nights by Finola Scott

White Nights In twilight silvered gardens in uncurtained bedrooms people stop stumble from dark pubs check their watches look up and smile. This northern sky shimmers with stretched summer light. The stars have bunked off, leaving the Moon to guard their beds. A lonesome fox lopes careless across sequinned lawns, passed the Ancestors saluting the […]

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Summer poem: Eurus/Zephyrus/Notus and Rainbows by K.A. McCafferty

Fallen apples, vine leaves tumble Strawberries bow Like grief stricken women As autumn sends her kiss Eurus carries a child in the white foam Of his sea Zephyrus does not hear the cries Of this tiny refugee Round by the hut a willow- tree weeps, its trunk sodden ‘n’ soft Pear tree has birthed Black […]

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Summer Poem: Eurus/Zephyrus/Notus and Rainbows by K.A.McCafferty

Fallen apples, vine leaves tumble Strawberries bow Like grief stricken women As autumn sends her kiss Eurus carries a child in the white foam Of his sea Zephyrus does not hear the cries Of this tiny refugee Round by the hut a willow- tree weeps,  its trunk sodden ‘n’ soft Pear tree has birthed Black […]

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A Glasgow Graduate from Syria – Summer 2016

This isn’t a story as such but a sharing of a pleasant and thought provoking event. Today I met my friend Issi for a little catch up before the holidays. I’m a bit nosy and having had many years of close ties with the University of Glasgow – as a mature, more mature and getting-on-a-bit […]

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1816 – The Year of No Summer by Mary Irvine

 In May, 1816, the poet, Shelley and his lover, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin,travelled to Switzerland to meet Lord Byron. Byron and Shelley had both rented houses near Lake Geneva and were constantly in each other’s company. Shelley recorded that being with Byron inspired him.      It was a strange summer for that year summer was non-existent. Spring was as normal in Europe and Northern America but the […]

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Winter Rain – Derek J. Brown

Winter Rain Tonight, in the city, a winter rain falls heavily, with an unknown purpose It takes more than rain to cleanse soul and more than soul to change a world pleading to be altered. Everything is conscience denied its head and tail, Edward Hopper in his grave, not turning, not stirring, tuned to a […]

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