1746 c/o Emily Cotterill

Uncle Jacob

Tradition and rebellion he told me,
In my white dress, marrying a woman.
Then he showed the world his knees
As if it cared about them. And it did.
It cared because it didn’t want them,
Not here, not anymore, not those ones.

There was something hideous about him,
This man I wrongly called Uncle.
He still claimed to be Scottish
In that way that English people do
When it suits them. If it suits them,
Not to wear a suit at a wedding.