Jim Laing,

Edinburgh, Scotland.

Jim Laing is an Edinburgh based poet whose life embarked on an exciting new poetry chapter after he turned 50 in 2013. His journey into this new world of creativity took off in April that year. Drawing inspiration from this enlightening day, when having one of those “Oh that’s a good line, I’ll have to write that down later” moments, he changed his mind and wrote it down there and then. And that was that, the keys have continued to rattle ever since. Nearing ever closer to being published, Jim's writing expertise has increasingly broadened in recent years to submitting work to online magazines and competitions. Despite the rich literary heritage of Edinburgh, his poetry inspirations are mostly from more southern climes and include Ted Hughes, Alison Oswald and Alison Brackenbury.

Below is the poem “An unexpected present” completed April 3^rd, 2020.

An unexpected present

Shut up now

don’t say a thing

I had to buy it

to feel connected

to feel I had someone nearby

someone nearly in my orbit

despite the miles between us

being numbered in hundreds

after all it's only a trinket

I had to buy it

to feel community in its giving

in this unexpected present

to make up for the feeling

of that dry empty

rising and falling

of internal organs

moving with my breathing

coming together and parting

every few seconds

that's all I have to say

and I hope we talk soon

more naturally

than a stamp that’s travelled

as long as our island

but not so much

as I long to speak

within arms reach

now my quiet life's utterly silent

I hope you like it

I had to buy it

speak soon?

bye