Thi earliest pals a remembur hivin wur ma grandparents
Oan thi first Friday eh ivery month, ma sister an me wid be
packed off tae stiy it thur hoose. This wiz a point a contention
wae ma parents. Ma faither wid say, They full thur heeds
wae mad coo’s shite, aw that nonsense might change thum
furiver. Ma mam wid simply reply, Nothin wrong wae
maikin life curly. Ma Nana an Papa moved aboot thur hoose
like they hid landed oan earth fae some far-off dusty part eh
thi universe. Thur decrepitude wiz otherworldly. Ma eyes wur
young back then, that’s a perspective a can niver change
In ma memory, thur raisin skinned, gummy eyed, an iz
distant an beautiful iz constellations in a clear, midnight sky
Ma Papa loved talcum pooder. Thur wiz clouds eh it left
in thi bathroom efter eed showered. Ma sister, whose bladdur
iwiys seemed tae be heavy wae piss, wid rush intae thi
bathroom efter um an come oot clappin white an coaffin
Ma Nana constantly hud a cigarette danglin fae r first
two fingers. A wid sit croass legged oan thi livin room flair
an watch thi glowing tip zig n zag iz she used r hands
tae illustrate one eh r long meanderin stories. Despite thi
talcum pooder in thi bathroom an thi cigarette ash
in thi soup, A remember they days like thur wiz conjury
in thi world they created fur us. We wur niver sent tae bed
We’d faw asleep where we sat an wake up wae a pulla
beneath oor heeds an a blanket tucked aroond us. Freedom
They allowed us tae stiy up late because they loved thi night
A think they loved thi night because life could shrink tae
Friday evenin television, a coal fire, an a torrent a stories
thit, sometimes, hud a wisp eh thi truth. Once, when thi coal
in thi fire burned brighter than thi lamps, they taught ma
sister an me how tae dance. Move yur boady any wiy yi wish
they sade, jist smile while yi dae it. Aw thi walllflowers will
be in awe eh yur confidence, an truly jealous eh how much
yur enjoyin yursel. In this respect, ma faither wiz correct
Ma sister an me r thi worst an best dancers it thi pairty.