Brochure (Poetry)

So this is Scotland then —
this pumped-up plumped-up swathe
of dayglo green —
granted it’s a photogenic scene —
but sure as eggs by nature are
the property of birds
these mountains with their collarings
of stiff and startling firs
in natural light don’t render
(even in full sun)
so harshly bright.

These are not true — these gaudy tones —
this saturated spectrum turned digitally full
and so blazingly fake
it makes the eyeballs ache.
Give me the subtle watercolour view —
the artist’s rendering
of how he sees the landscape’s range of hues —
the pigment’s earthbound feel
and sense of place —
soft-blended contours weave their spell —
the glow perceived more real.