When Alexander (Sandy) Hutchison died in 2015 there was an understandable outpouring of grief and affection for a Scottish poet who — despite his long career — was only just beginning to become more widely known. Friends and colleagues have been working over the past few years to gather his work together to try to establish his reputation more firmly. In anticipation of those future publications I republish here an essay I wrote back in 2007 for Duncan Glen’s little magazine Zed20.

“Since the start of the pandemic I have often found myself waking in the morning, groggy from sleep, and then experiencing a distinct sense of deflation as I suddenly remember the full awfulness of our situation and prepare to start the day. I’m sure I’m not alone in this. A day of risk lies ahead…”