I was born in Scotland
I had a brave healthy heart
I grew up in Scotland
From it I found it hard
to part
I went to England
I was an English reader
D.H. Lawrence taught me
to love ladies and flowers
Bavarian gentians
bluebell woods, Connie Chatterley

I went to Ireland, Ulster
and got a university education
I ran with the wind
on Portstewart strand

I went to China
I had a pen-pal from Wuhan
but taught English in Harbin
ZHONGHUA TONG
I learned everything except
the language

Now I'm 56
and still not a rock star
a painter or a writer
Life has taught me patience
and always to be ready
for changes

I hope I see 66, 76, 86
I'll be an old timer
maybe a country singer
with a lived-in face
maybe a tired English teacher
in some faraway place

I was born in Scotland
but my heart wanted more
than poverty, a country
that will take its place
among the nations.