First published in Great Britain in 2000 by

       Canongate Books Ltd, 14 High Street,

       Edinburgh, EH1 1TE

      This digital edition first published by Canongate in 2012

      Copyright © Alan Spence, 2000

      The moral rights of the author have been asserted

      The publishers gratefully acknowledge subsidy from the Scottish Arts Council towards the publication of this volume

      British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available on request from the British Library

      ISBN 978 1 84767 720 4

      Typeset by Forge Design

       www.canongate.tv

      To CKG

      ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

      Some of these poems have appeared in the following publications:

      Akros, Atoms of Delight (Morning Star), Best of Scottish Poetry (Chambers), Fox, Henry, Glasgow Herald, Glasgow Review, Glasgow University Magazine, Lines Review, OAR, Oasis, Pack of Cards (Aberdeen Libraries), Poetry Glasgow, Rebel Inc Magazine, Scotsman, Scottish Poetry 5 (EUP), Skinklin Star, Words Magazine, Writers in Brief (Book Trust)

      first warmth of spring

      I feel as if

      I have been asleep

      first warmth of spring

      under cracking ice

      the jawbone of a dog

      crocuses

      where last week

      the snow lay thick

      the spring breeze –

      the paper flowers also

      tremble

      into the sea I launch

      a piece of driftwood –

      with great ceremony!

      spring rain

      a yellow oil-drum

      bobbing down the river