Handmade Holes
A reflection on martyrdom, the lack of nobility in suffering and self-sacrifice drawing on both the parallels between Camus’ Myth of Sisyphus & the Christ image of bearing the cross. Continue reading Handmade Holes
Tag: ailsa gillies
I almost abandoned myself
“If I can’t find where I belong in the world, then I’m going to create it.”
An honest account of almost giving up, of fear, doubt, and the quiet resilience it takes to walk a path of your own making. Continue reading I almost abandoned myself
Crystallised Self
A poetic follow-on from Prodigal Son, a dialogue with a shedding persona, Ailsa Gillies makes an empowered declaration of what it means to embody the Self. Continue reading Crystallised Self
Prodigal Son
Jung would say the psyche speaks in images, myth and symbol. This piece is a dialogue with a persona that Ailsa Gillies let die. Continue reading Prodigal Son
Every Body Knows
Going from “if only” to “I am”, this poem moves from frustration and separation to reunion and liberation with the body. Ailsa Gillies celebrates her body for its wisdom during a small bout of illness. Continue reading Every Body Knows
Woman, you are
A poem born in the midst of Storm Amy, Ailsa Gillies speaks to the maiden, the mother and the crone. An ode to the grieving, evolving and forgotten women. Continue reading Woman, you are
5 Rothesay characters you’ve never heard of
Step back to 1800s Rothesay and meet five of Bute’s most unusual characters — from the mischievous Daft Jock to the mysterious ‘O’ Man. Unearthed from a 1913 article, these stories bring the island’s forgotten personalities vividly back to life. Continue reading 5 Rothesay characters you’ve never heard of
Bargaining My Soul
This poem captures the tension experienced on what Robert Frost called ‘The Road Less Travelled’. Ailsa Gillies dialogues with the soul when she takes it to auction. Continue reading Bargaining My Soul
A Plea in the Passing of Time
No one talks about that silent space during transformation. Where you’re ready for your new life, but not quite done with your old one. This poem captures exactly that – vulnerable, desperate…and ready. Continue reading A Plea in the Passing of Time
5 things you didn’t know about Ettrick Bay
Tea parties, concerts, donkey rides, shipwrecks, history-making flights and hurricane destructions — and that’s just a standard night out in Rothesay.
These are 5 things you might not know about Ettrick Bay. Continue reading 5 things you didn’t know about Ettrick Bay
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