Fife Pilgrim Way
Wynds, ochre Palace,
pilgrims, St Serf, Kentigern,
flowing tides, prayers, God.
Dunfermline Abbey,
processional walk, feast days,
journey to heaven.
Well-earned rest, overnight,
wary of robbers and worse,
bonds with fellow men.
Boggy, uneven ground,
pastures rich, wildflowers, shrubs,
through gates to worship.
Passage of lost time,
broken fragments of footsteps,
memento mori.
Waterless Way, ghosts,
Coal Road, Ancient Stobb Cross,
markers of deep faith.
Mottled canopy,
blue above, murmur of flow,
blackbird song, hunger.
St Andrews, blessings,
wonder of ancient cathedral,
grace, shrine, miracles.
Walkers, chatter, rest,
Margaret, her holy well,
Queensferry her name.
Maggie Mackay’s poem ‘How to Distil a Guid Scotch Malt’ is in the Poetry Archive’s WordView permanent collection. Her second collection The Babel of Human Travel (Impspired.com ) was published in 2022. She reviews poetry collections at The Friday Poem (https://thefridaypoem.com). Her best downtime moments are spent with her greyhound and a malt whisky. Twitter handle is @Bonniedreamer.
Amethyst Review 