Collection of Verse: Volume VII

Poet Jonathan Dundee tells us: Volume Seven from my series A Collection of Verse contains poems once more inspired by the Scottish Highlands, including one regarding Ardverikie House, better known as Glen Bogle House in the TV series Monarch of the Glen; another reflects upon the 2015 floods at Tannadice and Ballater. Politics surrounding Brexit also had to impact, together with the annoyance of tax dodgers.

Furthermore, my Mother's downhill struggle with dementia prompted some searching inspiration - as well as thoughts regarding how it also affected my Father's mental health.

By way of homage to the rock group Queen - my teenage music discovery, before Bohemian Rhapsody - I wrote My Queen. Although reading as a romantic poem, it is mainly constructed using song titles from the band's albums, singles and B-sides; there are 94 in total. A true test for fans would be to see how many you can find! Elsewhere, the arrival in office of a new US president (with rather unorthordox ways) is commented on.

The simple beauty of nature going about its day to day business is always a calming influence and a joy to observe, even if it is nothing more than a rat scurrying around. The passage of time and the ageing process is also still a niggling muse... but all in all, I try to make the best of it... really, there's no other choice!