Greenock at Night I Find You

1

As for you loud Greenock long ropeworking

Hide and seeking rivetting town of my child

Hood, I know we think of us often mostly

At night. Have you ever desired me back

Into the set-in bed at the top of the land

In One Hope Street? I am myself lying

Half-asleep hearing the rivetting yards

And smelling the bone-works with no home

Work done for Cartsburn School in the morning.

At night. And here I am descending and

The welding lights in the shipyards flower blue

Under my hopeless eyelids as I lie

Sleeping conditioned to hide from happy.

2

So what did I do? I walked from Hope Street

Down Lyndoch Street between the night’s words

To Cartsburn Street and got to the Cartsburn Vaults

With half an hour to go. See, I am back.

3

See, I am back. My father turned and I saw

He had the stick he cut in Sheelhill Glen.

Brigit was there and Hugh and double-breasted

Sam and Malcolm Mooney and Alastair Graham.

They all were there in the Cartsburn Vaults shining

To meet me but I was only remembered.