New Times,
New Thinking.

  1. Culture
  2. Poetry
8 May 2024

The NS Poem: October 2023

A new poem by John Burnside.

By John Burnside

First hard frost. The old gods gone to ground
in dry-stane walls and silted
ditchworks, sleet
in squalls along the ridge,
then nothing: silence;
grey on grey on grey.
I walk out to the far edge of the yard
and stare into the distance, almost
sure that I am seen
by all I know is there
but cannot see:
echoed, in a line of stunted gorse
along the roadside; noticed, then dismissed
as not quite animal enough
to hunt, or fear.
No gods to speak of
here, but there are
phantoms from an early travelogue
who visit now and then; laying no claim
to worship, they are
kindred to the birds
in field guides: tender, indisputable,
and apparitions all, though they are blessed
as I am, when the first sun filters through
the windbreaks, and, in spite of all I know,
the light comes clear
and everything is true.

John Burnside is a Scottish poet, novelist and critic who won the David Cohen Prize for Literature in 2023. His new poetry collection, “Ruin, Blossom”, is published by Jonathan Cape

[See also: The NS Poem: Fast Music]

Content from our partners
The future of exams
Skills are the key to economic growth
Skills Transition is investing in UK skills and jobs

Subscribe to The New Statesman today for only £1 per week

Topics in this article : ,

This article appears in the 08 May 2024 issue of the New Statesman, Doom Scroll