Rachel Rankine

 

 

Glasgow Uni Accent

 

haw
haw mate
why ye talkin lik an eejit?
d’ye hink yer better than me?
d’ye hink yer better than aw ae us?

haw
haw mate
A’m talkin tae ye
why ye patchin us mate?
d’ye understaun me mate?
A know ye dae

gawn
indulge us

huv ye improved yersel as a human bein?
huv ye found true happiness mate?
huv ye found yersel?
whit ur yer new pals like mate?
d’yer new pals know where ye cumfae mate?
d’yer new pals know aboot aw ae us mate?
d’yer new pals know aw aboot ye mate?
d’ye huv loads ae fancy hobbies noo mate?
huv ye found a taste fur houmous an halloumi?
ur ye politically active?
d’ye go oot oan marches?
ur ye sexually active?
d’ye chat up the posh burds?
d’ye chat tae any burds?
d’ye hink aboot hame often mate?
d’ye hink aboot yer maw an da?

haw
listen
ur ye deif?
it’s a shame mate
it really is
a fuckin shame
by the way
erryhin’s fine here
same as it aye wis
thanks fur askin

 


 

Speak Properly

 

Don’t dae whit A dae, dae whit A say
an don’t say whit A say, say whit A tell ye.

It isnae aye, it’s yes.
It isnae naw, it’s no.
It isnae whit, it’s what
or excuse me or pardon.

Don’t dae whit A dae, dae whit A say
an don’t say whit A say, say whit A tell ye.

It isnae dug, it’s dog.
It isnae wean, it’s child.
It isnae heid, deid or breid,
it’s head, dead and bread.

Stop fuckin swearin, anaw.

It isnae A’m ur, it’s I am
It isnae urny, it’s am not
It isnae isnae, it’s is not

A’m urny gonnae tell ye again.

Don’t dae whit A dae, dae whit A say
an don’t say whit A say, say whit A tell ye.

Ye huv tae learn tae speak properly.

 


Rachel Rankin is a poet from Coatbridge, currently based in Edinburgh. She received a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award in 2019, a Dewar Arts Award in 2018, and was shortlisted for the 2017 Jane Martin Poetry Prize. When not writing poems, Rachel works as a Norwegian to English literary translator, and is currently a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh, where she is researching the translation of Norwegian poetry.


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