August 2023

The Sun on Princes Street 
On Saturday we stopped and gazed
 On Princes Street, on Princes Street,
 As unexpected came the sun
 And kissed the stone of Princes Street,
 And up above us, all the flags
 Fluttered brave on Princes Street,
 In semaphore they made the claim
 Of freedom there on Princes Street.

 And somewhere, in a place nearby,
 A brass band played – you knew the tune,
 And mouthed the words on Princes Street;
 The message of the song, you said,
 Was ae fond kiss, as Burns would say;
 While up above us in the sky
 The pigeons fluttered, fanning out;
 A train passed by, it whistled sharp
 On Princes Street, on Princes Street,
 The heart can break, you pointed out,
 In many ways, in many ways,
 And most of them, it seemed to me,
 On Princes Street, on Princes Street.

This poem is taken from Alexander’s newest collection, I Think of You. Find out more here.