Wednesday, 19 March 2025

A muster of makars

What is the collective noun for makars?
A murder of makars, like a colloquy of crows,
a hoarse conclave of doom 
rebuking us from their pulpit, 
perched on some bare tree branch 
that has yet to recover from winter 
and put out new buds 
and alleviate the harsh doctrine 
with the promise of the brief respite 
a Scottish summer provides? 
Perhaps a mell of makars 
letting their lines wriggle like worms
across the pasture of the page,
or a mischief of makars, 
like mice nibbling old books
written by illustrious predecessors
as if they were loaves of bread, 
the library a bakery, a boulangerie, 
a patisserie of poetry, their own poems 
still half baked? Or a mob of makars? 
No, poets are not like kangaroos,
but more like peacocks 
in their confident, flamboyant display,
as they open their latest collection to read,
so it must be a muster! A muster of makars!

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