Orcadian Inheritance
For Ann Scarth (née Harper), 1762 to 1867, Evie, Orkney
My dear child, you can travel the world
but I am bound to this place, this grey blue sky and sea,
this brown green land, red grey standing stones.
I live, I live, I lived a hundred years and more.
We farm, fish, head to the water’s edge and see
whales rise like ancient dreams; wave, crash, disappear.
I am rock, steadfast, buried within you
like brochs deep in sand I will never see, you explored,
and when, like me, you face harsh wind, ferocious waves,
bleak horizon, oppressive sky, barren land, incessant life,
remember your inheritance, my gift to you:
determined waves, constant wind, soft sky, continuous horizon,
faithful land, unchanging centuries. We will persist.