The Big Fish of Galilee – a poem by Ross McWhinnie

The Big Fish of Galilee – a poem by Ross McWhinnie

Spare a thought
for people lost
between the lines, unmarked
on the Bible page
gauged unworthy
to make that great geography
of names
and shames
that frame
the stories kept.
Think a moment
on the ferment felt
by Lazarus’ undertaker,
robbed of his living
by the recently dead.
Ponder what was said
of the blushing father at Canaan
explaining why wine was suddenly
in short supply
to the already costly
apple of his eye.
Consider too the crew who
tasked with executing
the soon-to-be Saint Andrew
listened as an old man raved
“No wi’that wan!”
and with him flailing and ailing
gave him the only gift
in their gift to give
by nailing him to a Saltire
not knowing he’d still be there
parading round George Square
two thousand years later.
You see
the big fish of Galilee
were landed for history
in wide-weaved nets,
great bells unspooling
across the sleep-black depths
of a past where starry minnows swam
too, all in bright glitter
and straight through
the fisherman’s
inky pen-stroke webbing.
Untroubled,
unremarkable,
unremembered,
and so alive.

Ross McWhinnie is part of the Poets in Paisley collective which was set up by Donna Matthew in 2021 to create a space for new and emerging Poets to perform their work. Contact @donnamatthewpoet on Instagram to find out more.

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