Poetry Thursday - The Finished House by George Mackay Brown

The Finished House

In the finished house a flame is brought to the hearth. 
Then a table, between door and window 
Where a stranger will eat before the men of the house. 
A bed is laid in a secret corner 
For the three agonies – love, birth, death – 
That are made beautiful with ceremony. 
The neighbours come with gifts – 
A set of cups, a calendar, some chairs. 
A fiddle is hung at the wall. 
A girl puts lucky salt in a dish. 
The cupboard will have its loaf and bottle, come winter. 
On the seventh morning 
One spills water of blessing over the threshold. 

George Mackay Brown (via)

For the final term of the Extended Drawing course - which consists of a personal project - my theme is "home". I am collecting images, thoughts, poems... and this poem contains some deep-rooted images.

Mackay Brown was born in Orkney - here is an ancient Orkney home -

(via)

Perhaps the customs he mentions date back all those thousands of years?