every seal becomes a selkie
every horse becomes a kelpie
and the wail of the wind
a banshee cry.
Dialect for Read Write Poem
follow the coloured links to find out more!
a lochan is a small loch
a selkie is a name for a seal but (to me at least!) is more familiar as the name of the mythical seal folk
the kelpie is a supernatural water horse
the banshee is a wailing female spirit
You can read my earlier poem about selkies here
Now you're talking!
ReplyDeleteThere is much of the Celtic in this. I actually knew all the words without explanation! :-)
ReplyDeleteSimple, elegant, to the point and beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThat's the heilands - scary!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed it - a mythical place.
ReplyDeleteand I learned some new words I like :banshee, kelpie, selkie...
Dear Juliet, several years ago I wrote this short kind of joke of a poem which can be a sea-lagoon answer to yours:
ReplyDeleteYEAT’S SONG
A row of gulls on the rail in the cold,
by the waves.
How good they are, much better than us,
at waiting for anything that may pass
with, at their bills, Yeat’s song:
“Fish, flesh, or fowl”.
Best wishes, Davide
sounds like a land i would love to see some day...
ReplyDeleteThis piece rings with legend and nature. Very nice!!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting play with words and forms.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could go there, hear that banshee crying.
ReplyDeleteThe myth of the Selkie is one of my favorites...
papua say hiiiiiiiii
ReplyDeletethis is really captivating. and after my visit to the hebrides last summer i can feel it all that bit better too. lots of atmosphere and most lovely! have a good weekend
ReplyDeleteGreat words. :-) Celtic culture lends itself perfectly to poetry.
ReplyDeletevery simple and pure, informative yet beautiful
ReplyDeletegenerous of you to provide the links!
I absolutely adored this. The use of mythology was so nice and I learned something new today too.
ReplyDeletehow wonderfully magical... the word sounds are so lyrical and great fun to read aloud. ;)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I love the references to your local mythology. The sound of the wind as a banchee cry at the end is a haunting way to seal the poem. (I did mean to make a pun!)
ReplyDeleteA beautiful use of mythology. The imagery is gorgeous.
ReplyDelete