Mischief Night

Roddy Lumsden (1966-2020) was born in St Andrews, and lived in Edinburgh for many years before moving to London in 1998. His first book Yeah Yeah Yeah (1997) was shortlisted for Forward and Saltire prizes. His second collection The Book of Love (2000), a Poetry Book Society Choice, was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize. Mischief Night: New & Selected Poems (Bloodaxe Books, 2004) was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. His later collections were Third Wish Wasted (2009), Terrific Melancholy (2011), Not All Honey (2014), which was shortlisted for the Saltire Society's Scottish Poetry Book of the Year Award, and So Glad I'm Me (2017), shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize 2017 and the Saltire Society Scottish Poetry Book of the Year Award 2018. His anthology Identity Parade: New British and Irish Poets was published by Bloodaxe Books in 2010. He was a freelance writer and editor, also specialising in quizzes and word puzzles, and represented Scotland twice on BBC Radio 4's Round Britain Quiz. He also held several residencies, including ones with the City of Aberdeen, St Andrews Bay Hotel, and as “poet-in-residence” to the music industry when he co-wrote The Message, a book on poetry and pop music (Poetry Society, 1999). His other books include Vitamin Q: a temple of trivia, lists and curious words (Chambers Harrap, 2004).

Sharp, bright and utterly heartbreaking, this collection by one of the most intriguing voices is alternatingly roguish, curmudgeonly, insecure, and tender. The speaker woos and teases, cajoles and repels, withdrawing before beginning again. Though the poems offer no utopian promise, no deliverance, they cut to the quick with the difficult truth of longing, need, and the "salt of hopelessness".

• THE DROWNING MAN14 The Tremendous Few15 Charcoal Sketch16 What Love Cannot Do17 Miss Hollington’s Notes18 Us19 Q20 Rain at Night21 The Knack22 The Waitresses23 Sorry24 Life Story25 Moments of Terror26 Fear of Music28 Second Prayer29 For Jesus30 Letter From an Admirer31 The Bath in Milk32 The Drowning Man33 Between Hallowe’en and Bonfire Night34 The Deaths of Imaginary Friends35 Moments of Pleasure36 Still37 Turning into Grizzly Street38 From the Valentine Studio41 Cover Versions42 On the Cusp of Virgo and Libra43 Specific Hunger44 Perfumes of Scotland45 Conspiracy Sketch46 True Believers47 Miss America48 One Acre Yardfrom THE BUBBLE BRIDE (2003)50 Sang o’ the Kittock’s Loddie52 A Saltire53 Hotel Showers of the World54 The Kitchens: A Guided Tour55 On the Boat-slope56 The Bubble Bride57 Spent58 Lateral Vertigo59 Overhead in a Scottish Larder60 Lumsden Hotel61 Little Fife62 Evidence of Owlsfrom RODDY LUMSDEN IS DEAD (2003)Roddy Lumsden Is Dead65 My Pain66 My Death66 My Funeral67 My Post-mortem68 My Reptilian Existence68 My True Love69 My Allegory69 My Early Years70 My Hormones71 My Dark Side71 My Last Supper72 My Complex73 My Water73 My National Stigma74 My Limbo75 My Face Not Fitting75 My Half-life76 My Sex Life77 My Ascent77 My Descent78 My Superstition79 My Luck79 My Reflection80 My Sickness80 My Performance81 My Realm of the Senses81 My Plea82 My Meeting with the Goddess84 My Prayer84 My Future85 My Solitude87 My Life88 My Pennyworth88 My SpringBut Sweet90 The Consolation90 Weathergirl91 Priapus91 Higher Still92 The Shortcut92 Song93 Song93 Escher94 The Wish94 The Wager95 One Thing I Do Know95 Intramuros96 Simpatika96 The Drop of a Hatfrom THE BOOK OF LOVE (2000)98 Incident in a Filing Cupboard99 Because100 An Older Woman101 Love’s Young Dream102 Piquant103 Always104 Marmalade105 The Twelfth Kind106 Lithium107 Voyeur108 For the Birds109 Against Naturism111 Troilism112 Proof113 Tricks for the Barmaid114 from Subject Matter116 The Beginning of the End117 Acid118 Scarlet119 An Outlying Station120 Athena121 Bellyful122 Solo123 Pagan124 Show and Tell125 Hobbledehoy126 The Man I Could Have Been128 LullabyCavoli Riscaldati131 St Andrews131 Grief132 Easter132 Vena Cava133 Heatwave133 Reading the Suddenlys134 Making a Mistake134 Encraty135 What Happened Next135 Transfiguration136 Square One136 Making a Comeback137 Digitalis137 Making a Getaway138 Abacus138 Halfway Across139 Compendium139 Harm’s Way140 Making a Scene140 Elsewhere Perhaps Later141 Life Means Life141 Manila142 Ether142 What We Becamefrom YEAH YEAH YEAH (1997)144 Then145 Sunday Morning 2.13 a.m.146 St Patrick’s Day149 Manners150 Coming151 364152 Yeah Yeah Yeah153 Prayer To Be with Mercurial Women154 Trespass155 On a Promise156 Noyade157 from St James Infirmly159 After Entomology160 Cardinal161 Infighting162 Noah163 August (and Nothing After)164 Rogation165 The World’s End166 Lines to a Missionary167 Mercy168 Beach Ceilidh169 ITMA170 The Boy171 Roisin’s Wolves172 The Ultimate Curve173 Vanishing174 The Answers