London
Scottish country dancing across the capital
Patt Batt's poems
Pat Batt is a name that many of you will recognise as being synonymous with incisive, humorous poetry centred on Scottish country dancing. Her ditties are based on personal experiences and observation of human life in SCD and then put into rhyme for her and our pleasure. She often is found making a pithy point through fun, this probably being the best way to do it! Go to a dance party, tea party or ceilidh and you will invariable hear one of her poems recited or simply read out. Teachers use them in part to illustrate a point or to give their class a sideways look into our world. Phrases like
... When I was one and twenty….
... I’m a two-sex Scottish dancer …
... I joined a Scottish dancing class …
come to mind when thinking of her poems.
I knew Pat; she was a cheeky mischievous person with a twinkle in her eye which I always see in my mind when I read her works. Reading one of her poems daily is like taking a tonic and this is a compliment I am sure she would have loved to hear. The London Branch have been given special permission by her daughter Jo Chima, to whom we are indebted and thank heartily, to show all 33 of her poems, from her five volumes, in the Archives, on this website.
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Stephen Webb June 2011
The listing of Pat’s poems can be found below. These include an additional Volume 6: Pat’s Extras containing 11 poems not previously published or in a collection. Should any reader have or know of any other poems by Pat Batt not published here – you are invited to send them to the London Branch website to have them added to Volume 6.
Scroll down the library of poems or use the filter to find the volume you want
Remember to set the filter back to All.
