In which I have written a poem about 'Desert Island Discs'...

S.O.S

There are so many islands,

Crammed into small spaces.

Which are you, my friend?

Do you know, can you say?

Are you long-term sick,

Are you lonely rock,

Are you waiting, waiting,

For something, someone?

On our sofas, or chairs,

Our beds, or whatever,

We need signs of life

And lights from afar.

We need warm voices,

Tales of survival.

Without them we harden.

Set. Crack.

We turn to the sound

Of our desert’s guide.

Her voice has a glow.

How can that be?

She hangs with the great,

The funny, the strange.

She asks them questions,

What’s more gets answers.

We can sing along too,

Down but not drowned,

A little more encouraged,

A lot less lost.

Why this week alone,

I had brunch with Barry Manilow,

Cooked crumble with Jackie Kay,

It’s a world away.

RF 2016

I started this poem a couple of weeks ago but it wouldn't come out right... today it seems to have found its shape (or a shape anyway...). For those of you beyond our shores it is about listening to the BBC radio programme 'Desert Island Discs' - currently enjoying a golden age with its best ever presenter, Scots marvel Kirsty Young. She gets the tone just right, I think, and gets great interviews as a result. All episodes of the show (with Young and all the previous presenters) are available on the website in the castaway archive section. Whatever you think of the BBC in general (and it certainly has its critics up here in Scotland these days) this bank of shows is still an amazing resource.