A poem in Shetland dialect. Five Winter Nichts Written by Peter Ratter Read by Zöe Spence.
Cloods tae great flecks
at dennertime, da wireless said-
we aye blink trow da curtains,
but his gritter kent best.
Twa cosy bunkbeds
efter biggin snaa briggistanes
underneath a muckle grey coo
aalder is wir ain folk's folk.
Waiting fir Daddy
tae set by his boilersuit
aside da fire
becus da dug slept here
so she could still hug him
when he wisna hom.
Santie cam at two ida moarnin
atween sleep
an Mam's half denner.
He saved dat smile
fir dis wan day each year,
brighter dan aa ten sets
o' wir fairy lights.
Da nicht wis crisp and bricht
lik a loch foo' o Woody's spurs.
'Magic', he said it felt-
am nivver felt sae caald
as I did seeing his een dat nicht
glow lik brokken frost.