Requiem for Kay

Many people on Arran will have known Kay Carmichael, who died at Christmas two years ago. Some may have stood with her to protest at Faslane, others may know of her outstanding work in prisons and on behalf of people in need and difficulty of every kind. Her husband, David Donnison, has produced a small collection of poems written for Kay, and they are so moving and so wise that they may speak for anyone who has suffered a grievous loss and struggled through the process of somehow continuing to live.

David himself is no stranger to Arran. He has visited the island often, and took part last autumn in the Kilmory Concertina Weekend. There are at present just 200 copies of his book of poems for Kay, but they are for sale at £5.00, with 50% going to the Medical Foundation for Victims of Torture, a charity that Kay supported. If you would like one of them, drop us an e-mail on info@voiceforarran.com and we’ll put you in touch. Two of David’s poems appear below.

FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE

Catastrophic loss, you said,
impales us like barbed wire.
Turn your back upon it – pull away –
its teeth will rend your soul.

Embrace the pain and face it
then gently disentangle –
grateful for memories
that will some day make you whole.

ANOTHER FROZEN CHRISTMAS

Listening alone to carols I hear
of gold and frankincense and myrrh –
symbols of the season.

What symbols speak for you and me
on this your anniversary –
devotee of reason?

For you perhaps the blazing beauty
of the frost. For me the call to duty
of the returning sun.