SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 610 Title : The Almond Tree Author(s): Maureen Sangster Copyright holder(s): Maureen Sangster Text Ootby, far the gless wis het wi the burnin bricht mou o the sun, Grandad. A wee mannie mair suited tae bidin unner a stane bit here thrivin a Livingstone in Africa! "Liars who say there canna be a Scottish branch o the almond tree." An His thunderin words proved richt. His fingers, lang as the Nile, coaxin first the riggin o the plant an then its sails an then hoistin me up: "You quine, bein a maiden, breathe het summers on it an find the weak crack, the wee tinkle o growth as the sheath aroon the unseen fruit is peeled awa by the almond rivin oot." Inside, in a bed got up for the deid wi the curtains shut an the only din the clatter o distant tea cups, Grandad. Only his heid stickin oot o the fite sheet like a fibrous fattened tusk. He wis up fur the kissin noo, an she, Granny, who'd hardly said ane word tae the mannie aa the time he lived bent ower him, an pit her ugsome mou up agin his. He'd tellt me some tales ootby - o snakes, buggers o craiturs, gripy an greedy wha had swallowed ae moose fur breakfast an anither fur dinner an then gaed slippity baPPITY ower the flechy sands. Fat targets aa o them. But if carressed, aye that wis the word he eesed, fan injured - oot wid pop the twa swallowed prey, nae a morsel taen oot frae flesh or bane! I wis feart then tae look at the wye Granny wis feedin on Grandad's lips. Made me think o a wee wriggling moosie in by her mou or his bit naethin came o that except a muckle big funeral wi a lot o sponges an a lot o tears, Granny saying she widna manage wioot him. Gweed God, she spent a her time wioot him shut awa in the derk front room. He'd only penetrated that shrine fan deid. Inby, there wis a wee table wi a green velvet skin an ower it her ebony elephants trauchled wi their freen, a plastic goose wi a nodding heid, a bit like Grandad wis wi Granny an a wee yealla cat - didna seem tae belong tae the ithers: seemed tae rin alane, unner a fierce gormless moon. I thocht she'd gang back tae this: Clutter o ornaments; curtains drawn; fatality in the atmosphere bit she wis oot in that greenhoose the morn aifter the funeral an there wis something green aboot her: As Mum said That coat, flapping, lang an keich coloured shud hae been at last year's kirk jumble. Bit she wis cryin as she touched the lang leaves o the almond tree. Ower late I thocht tae love her love a dry husk bereaved an lacking Grandad's hands bit it wis like the almond her hert wrenching love that hid matured an come oot o the concealing skin o years. This work is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. The SCOTS Project and the University of Glasgow do not necessarily endorse, support or recommend the views expressed in this document. Information about document and author: Text Text audience General public: Audience size: 1000+ Text details Method of composition: Wordprocessed Year of composition: 2000 Word count: 494 Text medium Periodical/journal: Text publication details Published: Publisher: Chapman magazine Publication year: 2003 Place of publication: Edinburgh ISBN/ISSN: 190370006X Edition: Centenary issue of magazine Part of larger text: Contained in: Chapman Magazine, Centenary Issue 102-103 Editor: Joy Hendry Page numbers: 304 Text setting Leisure/entertainment: Text type Poem/song/ballad: Author Author details Author id: 249 Forenames: Maureen Surname: Sangster Gender: Female Decade of birth: 1950 Educational attainment: University Age left school: 18 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Place of birth: Aberdeen Region of birth: Aberdeen Birthplace CSD dialect area: Abd Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Kirkcaldy Region of residence: Fife Residence CSD dialect area: Fif Country of residence: Scotland Father's occupation: Teacher Father's place of birth: St Fergus Father's region of birth: Buchan Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Buchan Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Teacher Mother's place of birth: Skene Mother's region of birth: Aberdeen Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Abd Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: For general use Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: In Scots-speaking company. Poetry writing/readings