A Wee Bit Zen by Alan Spence sampler

Alan Spence is an award-winning poet and
playwright, novelist and short story writer.
Glasgow-born, he lives in Edinburgh and is
Professor Emeritus in Creative Writing at the
University of Aberdeen where he founded and
ran the WORD Festival. Edinburgh Makar
2017–21, he was Awarded the Order of the
Rising Sun from the Japanese government
in 2018. Awards he has received include the
McVitie Prize (Scottish Writer of the Year),
Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award and TMA
Drama Award. His play Sailmaker is a set text
in Scottish schools and a new professional
production is touring. With his wife Janani
he runs the Sri Chinmoy meditation centre in
Edinburgh.

By the same author:
FICTION
Its Colours They Are Fine, Collins 1977
The Magic Flute, Canongate 1990
Stone Garden, Phoenix House 1995
Way to Go, Phoenix House 1998
The Pure Land, Canongate 2006
Night Boat, Canongate 2013
Mister Timeless Blyth, Tuttle 2023
POETRY
Ah!, Agni Press 1975
Glasgow Zen, Glasgow Print Studio 1982
Seasons of the Heart, Canongate 2000
Glasgow Zen (expanded edition), Canongate 2002
Still (with Alison Watt), Ingleby Gallery 2004
Clear Light, Canongate 2005
Morning Glory (with Elizabeth Blackadder), Renaissance 2010
Thirteen Ways of Looking at Tulips (with Elizabeth Blackadder),
Renaissance 2022
Edinburgh Come All Ye, Scotland Street Press 2022
PLAYSCRIPTS
Sailmaker, Salamander Press 1982
Space Invaders, Salamander Press 1983
Changed Days, Hodder 1991
2000 & 3 Estaites, Edinburgh University Press 2003

A WEE BIT
ZEN
ALAN SPENCE

First published 2026
isbn: 978-1-80425-348-9
The author’s right to be identified as author of this book
under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
has been asserted.
Printed and bound by
Robertson Printers, Forfar
Typeset in 11 point Sabon by
Main Point Books, Edinburgh
© Alan Spence 2026

To David Williams

CONTENTS
The Old Man’s Zen 11
ZenScotLit 17
Robert Burns 19
Robert Louis Stevenson 20
Hugh MacDiarmid 21
Edwin Muir 22
Neil Gunn 23
Nan Shepherd 24
Naomi Mitchison 25
Norman MacCaig 26
Iain Crichton Smith 27
George Bruce 28
Edwin Morgan 29
Ian Hamilton Finlay 30
Questions
The Chinese Laundrywoman Asks
a Challenging Question 35
7

The Child Questions the Poet 36
The Child Questions the Haiku Poet 37
The Child Questions the Bus Driver 38
The Doric Question 39
A Koan 40
Riddle 41
Found / Overheard
A Message 42
Kafkaesque 43
(Em)Phatic 44
The Sixties 45
Zen Wifie 46
Spoiler 47
(S)and 48
Texting 58
Hakuin Versions 62
After Hakuin 70
After Ikkyu 72
After Basho 74
A Wee Prayer 76
Coffee Shop Haiku 77
8

More Glasgow Zen 83
Daibutsu (Great Buddha) Kamakura 88
Glasgow Mantra 89
Joshu’s Mu 90
More on Joshu’s Mu 94
Anagram 98
Gull 99
Oxymorons 100
Like, Birdsong 106
Fit Like 107
A Slogan for Aberdeen 108
From the Hotel Room Window 109
Disclaimer 110
AI 111
On Portobello Prom 112
Senryu 115
Meditation Room 122
Play of Light 124
Acknowledgements and Photo Credits 127
9

THE OLD MAN’S ZEN
If we had some ham,
the old man used to say,
we could have ham and eggs.
And he’d pause.
If we had some eggs.
11

He’d look round the room,
getting ready to go,
say to no-one-in-particular,
I had a hat when I came in.
And I’ll have a hat when I go out.
12

His ancient wisdom
from the radio – a wireless
connection – when things
got bad, and worse.
He’d shrug, We never died
a winter yet.
13

If you sat in the seat
he’d just vacated,
he’d ask, Would ye take
my grave as quick?
Well? Would I?
14

Ach, he’d say, tholing
whatever came along,
It’s better than
a poke in the eye
wi a sharp stick.
15

Gift horse in the mouth?
Accepting what comes
your way?
Refuse nothing, he’d say.
Nothing but blows.
16

121

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