Scotland by anelephantcant

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Scotland

when I think
from afar
of the land
that I love
I realise that much
is almost clichéd
like haggis and tartan
Robert Burns and the skirl of the pipes
the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond
the Doon sae fresh and fair

but I love too
the River Forth
spanned by three bridges
and three centuries
half-ruined castles
full of legends and ghosts
our lochs long and grey
with mists above
and monsters below
battlefields drenched
in tears and glory
and the spirits
that walk them still
Skye’s dark sharp peaks
and
Ayrshire’s green rolling hills

I love
that you still nourish
my heart
and my soul
I love porridge
and
sunlit heather in September

I love
that
our National Animal
is the Unicorn
and
our National Flower
the Thistle