Aberdeen Before the Trawl

Verse 1
Granite glitters like frost in the harbour
wind carries diesel and old rope
I walk the fish market at dawn
boots still wet from yesterday’s deck
herring scales stuck to my sleeves
the crates come back half empty now
Verse 2
The rigs are gone from the skyline
just turbines turning slow
I drink in the Prince of Wales
pint leaves a ring on the table
the barman wipes it away
same as every morning
Verse 3
Wife turns over when I leave the bed
doesn’t ask where I’m going
I pull on the old oilskin
the zip sticks in the same place
the seam leaks at the shoulder
the cold finds the gap every time
Verse 4
Sun comes up over the North Sea
turns the water the colour of oil
I stand on the Torry Battery
lean on the rail till it bites
the wind tastes of metal
and I taste it back
Verse 5
The old winch sits rusting on the quay
chain left where it dropped
I kick it once, hear the clank
same sound it made when it worked
no one fixes it
no one needs it anymore
Verse 6
The flask stays in my pocket
the lining torn long ago
the harbour dull under the rain
and the wind keeps its bite
no more nets to haul
no more decks to scrub
just the cold that stays
fit like, loon
fit like