Alec Finlay
@alecfinlay.bsky.social
3.6K followers 3K following 1K posts
artist and poet; ecological remediation and human recuperation; landscape, tea, limit and creativity; lives by the sea in Edinburgh; mostly sharing a daily poem here.
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Reposted by Alec Finlay
msemilyedwards.bsky.social
i feel like i need to share this oldie but a goodie today
A tumblr post that reads "WHo would have believed that the perfect wikipedia photo caption could have been improved upon?" Two identical images are then side by side. The first caption is "Piper Kerr, a member of the Scottis National Antarctix Expedition, plays the bagpipes for an indifferent penguin, March 1904". The Caption for the image on the left reads, "Piper Kerr (right), a member of the Scottis National Antarctix Expedition, plays the bagpipes for an indifferent penguin, March 1904"
alecfinlay.bsky.social
packing

I want you to know
your small volume of poems
was one of the ones
I took on my holidays
and never read
alecfinlay.bsky.social
We need a system whereby artists can vote for or against the public being allowed to vote on public sculptures!
Reposted by Alec Finlay
alecfinlay.bsky.social
'the latest one / to reach / the summit / was sunset'
alecfinlay.bsky.social
bougie

time is malleable, says the wax–
time consumes, says the flame–

time is just a trick of light
and shadows, says the wick–

time will come to an end–
says the dark

12.X.25
alecfinlay.bsky.social
I remember the balloon, but not the bus?
alecfinlay.bsky.social
I agree, there's a naivety to poets who treat 'the publisher' as some grand entity or institution; most are simply poets doing their national service. Every poet should put their shoulder to the publishing wheel for a time and learn something of what it means to try and sell poetry books.
alecfinlay.bsky.social
ode

if my love had waited
any longer to meet me

her big pants would’ve
been up to her oxters–

but then I already
learnt the hard way

what love means to those
who favour scant pants

11.X.25
alecfinlay.bsky.social
after Yakamochi

if she were here
–I can’t say it

if she were here
–I can’t name it

10.X.25
alecfinlay.bsky.social
Coming everyday next week, on Radio 4, Hayden Lorimer's expanded vision of our work on wintering well and SAD. The nights are fair drawing in www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - Winter Well
A survival guide to winter, offering advice on how to get through the dark months.
www.bbc.co.uk
alecfinlay.bsky.social
naw, we're no feelin it.
sundersays.bsky.social
Scottish Social Attitudes report a dramatic dip in British identity in Scotland in 2024
alecfinlay.bsky.social
after Yakamochi

long autumn nights–
cold autumn nights–
windy autumn nights–
sleepless autumn nights–
autumn nights alone

9.X.25
Reposted by Alec Finlay
anotherjon.bsky.social
Scottish Outdoor Access Code recognises that specific routes may need to be managed for deer stalking on specific days, but not blanket bans like this.

Section 14 of Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 gives councils the power to remove non-compliant signs.

@perthandkinross.bsky.social must act now.
ramblersscotland.bsky.social
⛰ Glen Lyon access must be fixed.

We’ve written to @perthandkinross.bsky.social, calling on it to urgently require a landowner to remove ‘No Walking’ signs at popular Perthshire Munros.⛔

North Chesthill Estate in Glen Lyon is trying to stop walkers accessing its 4 Munros during all of Sept & Oct.
A heathery hillside with plantation woodland in the foreground.
Reposted by Alec Finlay
georgemonbiot.bsky.social
ME/CFS is a devastating condition that has long been denied, dismissed, psychologised and underdiagnosed. Research is at last starting to catch up with it, with glimmers of hope for those who have been left untreated for so long.
There's a huge BUT coming ...🧵
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Scientists develop first ‘accurate blood test’ to detect chronic fatigue syndrome
Research could offer hope for ME patients – but some experts urge caution and say more studies needed
www.theguardian.com
alecfinlay.bsky.social
'I can dream walking / but not leaps / I long to float / in the mid- / air touching nothing– / free of pain (after Shiki, for Abby Ryder-Huth)
Reposted by Alec Finlay
chowleen.bsky.social
The wind got up in

the night and took our plans away

-John Berger,
"Ten Dispatches About Endurance in Face of Walls”

#everynightapoem #ofsorts
"Ten Dispatches About Endurance in Face of Walls” 
(October 2004)
I
The wind got up in 

the night and took our plans away 

(Chinese proverb)

#everynightapoem #ofsorts
Reposted by Alec Finlay
c-anemone-d.bsky.social
I never saw a doctors bill until I moved from Montreal to NYC—I almost cried. How pathetic, for a country with so much wealth to devalue and monetise human life to the extent of putting a literal dollar value to our right to health. What an outright theft & bankruptcy of human dignity, on all sides.
thetnholler.bsky.social
Healthcare should be guaranteed as a human right #MedicareForAll @salaambhattiva.bsky.social
alecfinlay.bsky.social
let’s agree that if you squeeze
The Statue of Liberty she
scweems and scweems

let’s agree with Amy and Ben, out there
it’s wetter than an otter’s pocket

let’s agree that come autumn, your aquarium
can become a leaf garden

7.X.25
alecfinlay.bsky.social
more let’s agree

let’s agree there is no recipe
for another of my green soups

let’s agree he felt a little off-colour
after winning the paint
drinking competition

let’s agree I am in their bag
and on their case

let’s agree the world has got
too hyperstitious

6.X.25
alecfinlay.bsky.social
for every law against repeated protests, a law against repeated wrongs.