Glasgow's Coronavirus poem
He wrote it last month like observing social distancing and says it's inspired by the parks for which Glasgow is famous, touching on his own feelings of temporary exile from the city where he works in the NHS, and on the universal experience of being separated from friends, family and neighbours.
Jim Carruth, who has been Poet Laureate for Glasgow since 2014. said: “These past few weeks mark the longest period I’ve been away from Glasgow in 30 years and I was missing the city but also family and friends. For while many of us are communicating digitally over platforms like Zoom, the opportunity to be physically in the company of friends and relations, to just be together, is ruled out.
“The other influence was the fact that Glasgow, the ‘Dear Green Place’, is very much a city of parks. An image came into my head of a bench. Two people could sit at either end, but would that be far enough apart to keep within the social distance?
“Could I use that as an initial image to express that longing to meet up again; wishing for everyone to stay safe while looking forward to that time when it’s over?”
Everyone, he points out, faces different fears and challenges, from bereavement and illness to the pressures confronting key workers and those home-schooling their children.
Yet they also share a longing, “For the lockdown to be ended, so they can spend time with loved ones without those barriers being put in our way”.
The poem has drawn plaudits from former UK Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, who called it “terrific”, and Scottish musician and author Pat Kane, who described it as “aimed at the heart of now”.
The Poet Laureate for Glasgow is in the gift of the Lord Provost and is managed by Glasgow Life. Jim Carruth is the third Poet Laureate for the city following Edwin Morgan and Liz Lochhead.
Glasgow’s Lord Provost Philip Braat said: “The Long Bench is a wonderful poem and an important contribution to the cultural life of the city during this difficult period.
“Jim Carruth’s eloquent lines will find an echo in the hearts of many Glaswegians at a time when everyone in the city is pulling together to keep each other safe by restricting our movements and social contacts.
“Glasgow’s response to the Coronavirus crisis has been hugely commendable, but inevitably, people are missing their loved ones and Jim’s poem says so much about our shared feelings. It also strikes a welcome note of hope for the days when we can come together again with our families, friends and neighbours.
“At a time when artistic expression has never mattered more, The Long Bench is a marvellous example of the power of poetry.”
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