October 2024

A poem written by Alexander to mark the late summer sunshine on the west coast of Scotland.

Late summer

Summer seemed to pass us by this year in Scotland,
Until now, in September, unexpected
In its generous showing of light and warmth,
It invites us into its curtilage;
Here we live beside a mountain,
And before us a sea loch, a place
Of long-drawn-out tides and seaweed;
A rowan tree in full fruit is red and giving,
And the sky, previously concealed
Behind skirts of cloud like a shy child,
Is high and empty, and blue, with barely
A wisp of white; a vapour trail
Dips down towards distant Canada
Across mile upon mile of empty ocean;
We are not alone, we are never alone,
Whatever happens in our troubled world,
We have each other, which is enough.

Alexander McCall Smith, September 2024

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Discover more of Alexander’s poetry with his collection: In A Time of Distance