In the shadows

Written in the shadow of illness and approaching death, this moving sequence of sonnets offers an intimate portrait of a young Scottish poet facing mortality with tenderness, imagination, and quiet courage. The poems draw deeply on the natural world, childhood landscapes, family affection, faith, and the ache of an unfinished life, transforming personal sorrow into reflections that remain universal.

An introductory account places the verses within the poet’s brief, difficult life: his journey from a humble background toward literary ambition, his struggle to find recognition in London, and his return home as his health fails. Together, the introduction and poems create a poignant listening experience—part literary memorial, part meditation on loss, beauty, and endurance. Listeners will find language that is simple yet richly evocative, with autumnal imagery, spiritual questioning, and an unwavering love of the world even as it slips away.