Craigmillar

Cherry

By Ray Schaufeld

Wed, 21 Jun 2017
  • 1875 reads
6 comments
 

Craigmillar

A chef without a cooker

A car without a driver.

 

Craigmillar

Everything costs twice as much

Everything takes twice as long.

Certificate U
Poem
I came to Scotland to study English
Travel

Comments

Submitted by Fictiontoescape on

This piece is odd and caught my attention. Although I know nothing about poetry.

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

This has a pleasing form and flow to it, Elsie, and hints in an unusual way at the situation there, and the memories.

Is the car reference an indication of many abandoned cars around, with no money to be repaired, run or taken to a dump?

Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Hi Rhiannon. Yes, the car had been stolen by reckless lads who had driven it around the estate and then abandoned it when they had used all the petrol in the tank. Thanks for reading and commenting. And thanks Fictiontoescape for your good comment.

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Hey cheers for the cherries. This poem is from my 'back catalogue'. I wrote it nearly 30 years ago, either whilst I lived in Craigmillar or shortly after. I gave my flat back to the council and moved back to Stirling where I had friends. BTW the chef without the cooker lived one floor up from me. At this stage of his life he was unemployed and on 'benefits' due to health problems. He had a friend who lived about 10 minutes walk away. They pooled their food money and my neighbour cooked for them both at his friend's flat.

Submitted by celticman on

interesting, I'm sure a couple of my Edinburgh cronies will ken Craigmillar very well.

 

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Yes. The exterior of Craigmillar Castle Road has since been improved with new stone cladding. The patch that I lived in was Niddrie Marischal. My place got demolished some years ago. I had the show flat! Well it had been 16 years ago when it was built and the inside was ok although I felt that a larger bedroom and a smaller sitting room would have suited me better. It was the show flat for Niddrie House, the next patch along where the new housing was all built on the same design. Niddrie House was situated around the ruined portal of the big old stone house which had been owned by the Wauchopes.