I was brought up in Largo in Fife. Largo Bay sweeps from Leven to Shell Bay. Largo Bay was the play-place of my youth and I return when I can. On new year’s eve 2023 I woke from a strange dream that was clearly the result of listening to Michael Marra’s ‘Heaven’s Hound’ the night before. The photo below is of me walking to Shell Bay with, for some reason, a shell for a monocle. A shelfie, perhaps.

Last night I dreamt of Heaven’s Hound
Shepherding souls to a heavenly shore.

Hoping to walk off this strangeness,
I laced my boots and pulled on a Guernsey.
I set off into the salty air,
Feeling the sand and stones beneath my feet.

At Johnstone’s Mill four horses galloped from behind my shoulder
Their hooves shook the ground,
For a moment flooding my guts with blood,
Before high-tailing along the water’s edge,
Kicking sand and spraying shards of water,
Refracting light that had travelled through time
To explode here on my most loved bay.

Then out of nowhere that I could see,
A stranger passed and said:
‘This is the most perfect day to end the year’.
I smiled and walked with lighter steps
Until I reached Shell Bay.

This marked my turning point
At this turning of the year.
Setting my face towards Largo
I walked closer to the water’s edge
Where the sound of the waves
Sang a song I had known since
I played on this beach as a child.

Heaven’s Hound did not appear,
But the sea made sense of the coming year.