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Best Poems Written by Kenneth Shaw

Below are the all-time best Kenneth Shaw poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

Details | Kenneth Shaw Poem

The Ceilidh

Everyone dressed in their Highland attire,
With the whisky flowing all night,
I was at the local Ceilidh,
Where it brought me great delight,

There was Archie on the accordion,
And Duncan on the drum,
Fiona on the fiddle,
Accompanied by her mum,

The pipers drone was awesome,
As the eightsome reel begun,
You could feel the whole place vibrate,
As we circled and we spun,

The place awash with tartan,
All the colours from many a clan,
Blues,reds,greens and yellows,
Worn by every woman and man,

We danced so many dances,
Plenty i didn't even know,
But there was always a willing partner,
Step by step they'd show,

We danced away past midnight,
Into the very next day,
This was the Highland Ceilidh,
A memory that will always stay,

We ended off with Auld Lang Syne,
From Rabbie the man himself,
Wishing all good fortune,
And every man good health.

Details | Kenneth Shaw Poem

The Massacre of Glencoe

Freezing ,wet and hungry,
In need of food and rest,
The MacDonalds took them in,
And made them all a guest,

The weather here was always harsh,
A storm could last a week,
But the snow had started falling,
Things were really looking bleak,

They fed their guests with all they had,
And kept the fires burning,
They could stay as long as need be,
The weather wasn't turning,

They sat and told old stories,
And shared their heather ale,
Played their highland bagpipes,
As they sheltered from the gale,

On the twelth night as they slept in bed,
Thinking all was good and well,
The guests had started killing all,
A night of living hell,

A few escaped out to the hills,
They fled in the cold of the night,
But with the conditions a total whiteout,
Survival was a fight,

By daylight back at the village,
The MacDonalds all lay dead,
The ground around their homesteads,
A sticky patch of red,

The Massacre of Glencoe,
Dated Feb 13th 1692,
Where the Campbells showed their colours,
To the likes of me and you,

It's said today when you're in the Glen,
Or simply passing through,
You can hear the screams of MacDonalds,
Their spirits live with you,

And even to this very day,
There's a sign above the Inn,
'No Campbells welcome here,
Or anywhere within'....

Details | Kenneth Shaw Poem

Rob Roy Macgregor

Away back in time many centuries ago,
In the land that I live and know best,
Things were not quite so easy,
You struggled and life was a test,

A man would do all he had to,
Survival the name of the game,
Be it cheat, steal or murder,
Every mans rules were the same,

Rob Roy MacGregor's no exception,
Him and his Clan full of men,
Usually dealing in cattle,
They'd take them wherever and when,

They'd move them on for many a day,
Down through the hills and the glens,
Bedding down on sweet heather,
Shadowed by the great Scottish Bens,

They'd stop off at friendly wee homesteads,
Perhaps have a meal and a dram,
Maybe take up some shelter,
Till the weather was better and calm,

Leave a beast for the poor and  the hungry,
For the Winter that's heading their way,
Not as bad as his reputation,
'A fine man MacGregor', they'd say,

Eventually getting to market,
They'd get the best price for their beasts,
Have a few days drinking in Stirling,
With wenches and having great feasts,

Then back through the hills,
And the glens they would go,
Stealing a beast here and there,
Rob Roy MacGregor and his Clan full of men,
When life was survival not fair....

Details | Kenneth Shaw Poem

A Trip Doon the Watter

Sailin doon the watter,
Frae Glesga tae Dunoon,
Wae the paddles at thur fullest,
We'd get ther awfy soon,

The music played as we stood on deck,
An the sights so much tae see,
Doon past Dumbarton Castle,
A magic sight tae me,

Sailing past Helensburgh,
An roon the bend,
We could see the Holy Loch,
On this Glesga fair weekend,

The sun wis shinin brightly,
As we entered quaint Dunoon,
Wae its tea rooms and its cafes,
We wid go an eat ther soon,

Fish n chips fur dinner,
An a big ice cream tae end,
A walk aboot the shops,
An a postcerd we wid send,

An later on aboot eight o'clock,
We steamed away once more,
Up the Clyde tae Glesga,
Alang the rivers shore,

Wae a couple a drams an the music,
The trip hid been jist braw,
A sail doon the Clyde on the Waverley,
Ye jist cannae beat it at awe.

Details | Kenneth Shaw Poem

Iona

With your waters so blue,
And your sands a crisp white,
I had never expected,
Quite a delight,

I had come from the mainland,
To this distant isle,
A Hebridean beauty,
A trip so worthwhile,

St Columba had come,
And here he would stay,
He made it the isle,
For the Christians to pray,

The Abbey was built,
And our Kings buried here,
A place full of worship,
From far and from near,

And right to this day,
Christians cross to this isle,
St Columbas 'Iona',
A place we can smile.

Details | Kenneth Shaw Poem

The S.S.Politician

Loaded with whisky,
She sailed through the night,
But the sea was as rough as could be,
The crew did their best as they sailed through the isles,
But hit rocks around quarter to three,

Theuy all got off board and into a raft,
And managed to make it to shore,
Alerted the locals of this tragic event,
And the cargo she had in her store,

Making sure they were safe,
And out of harms way,
The locals set out on their boats,
This cargo was here for the taking,
And they'd take all as long as she floats,

They filled their boats with all they could,
Sailed back and forth till dawn,
Hid the cargo everywhere,
Until the ship was down and gone,

Customs and Police arrived at the scene,
And interviewed every man that they could,
Some of the locals could hardly stand,
And the rest just not understood,

And still to this day on Eriskay,
There's still a few bottles appear,
And out of the 24000 missing,
I wonder how many were here ?

Details | Kenneth Shaw Poem

How To Get a Woman

You give eye contact across the floor,
And let her know you're there,
Stay calm,cool and collective,
And never lose your flair,

Stroll on over introduce yourself,
And ask her for a dance,
If she agrees to things so far,
You've got a little chance,

Hold her tight when dancing,
And always keep control,
Treat her like a lady,
And she'll open up her soul,

Tell her you like her little dress,
And her perfume smells so great,
And if she stays up for the following dance,
You've got yourself a date,

Ask her if you can walk her home,
Or perhaps she could come to mine,
If either of these options work,
You're doing pretty fine,

On arriving back at hers or mine,
Kiss her lips so soft and pure,
Run your finger down her spine,
That'll sort her out for sure,

Nice and gently you unzip her,
Her dress falls to the floor,
Carry her off to the bedroom,
And boy you've got a score.

Details | Kenneth Shaw Poem

The Old Cabin

Up through the forest on the windy wee road,
It was great to be back again,
People nodding and waving,
As i entered my little Glen,

The river took its twists and turns,
It was the artery of this whole place,
Weaving through the forest,
At a nice and gentle pace,

The cabin sat in a quiet wee spot,
The neighbours miles away,
This was my little sanctuary,
My place to go and stay,

No telephones,no salesmen,
Or bills behind the door,
Just me and my old cabin,
And the creaky wooden floor,

For your dinner you had to catch or shoot,
No supermarkets here,
Rabbit Stew,Salmon or Trout,
Or perhaps a piece of Deer,

I chopped some logs for the fire,
Enough for a week or two,
The old lantern filled with oil,
Done all i had to do,

It was time to sit and relax now,
And take in all around,
The only noise was nature,
And that rippling water sound.

Details | Kenneth Shaw Poem

Loch Ness

In the Highlands of my homeland,
There's a loch so cold and deep,
Shadowed by Urquhart Castle,
Where the creatures never sleep,

It's said beneath the waters,
There's a monster folk have seen,
Pictures have been taken,
But the proof has never been,

They say her neck is ten foot long,
She has two humps on her back,
Some say pre historic,
Her skin an ashen black,

Late at night when the water's calm,
And the sun's gone down to rest,
She's usually seen on the Western Shore,
Where she thinks it's safe and best,

Scientists, Professors and other sorts,
Have all done tests up there,
They've done all different types of things,
But they've never found her lair,

It's said there's a secret passage,
Where she makes her way to sea,
And i hope she never will be found,
But that's a personal thing to me.

Details | Kenneth Shaw Poem

Rothiemurchus

Away up in the Highlands of Scotland,
There's a place so dear to me,
With its rivers,lochs and mountains,
It's a place you've got to see,

The Osprey's seen at the local lochs,
Where she nests and rears her chick,
Catching trout and salmon,
With her talons so long and thick,

The forests span for miles around,
As far as the eye can see,
And the wildlife's so abundant,
It makes you feel so free,

Every breath your body takes,
The air's so clean and pure,
Scents from pine and heather,
Natures remedy for sure,

From Deer up on the hillside,
Or Red Squirrels at their play,
And Eagles flying overhead,
It's just a normal day,

And as the sun goes down to rest,
And the day becomes the night,
It'll happen again tomorrow,
As you rise in the morning light.