springtime in Scotland

bereft of bloom by anelephantcant

Click here to hear the poet read his words:

Springtime in Scotland

once again I go back with my soul full of hope
simply seeking a warm word or a smile
but the pain and the tears start all over again
I realise my trip is heartbreakingly futile

because springtime in Scotland is bereft of bloom
the flowers have no colour or scent
it is painfully clear I am not welcome here
the narrow cracks now are more widely rent

there’s no music playing on the barren hillsides
the silent songbirds forget their sweet tunes
the dull sky is heavy with low weeping clouds
obscuring a succession of pale dying moons

the sunshine of course is long disappeared
the rainfall is wind-blown and cold
the chill of my homeland seeps into my bones
but it’s much more than the weather that makes me feel old