Emma Grae is a Scottish author and journalist from Glasgow.
She has published fiction and poetry in the UK and Ireland since 2014 in journals including The Honest Ulsterman, From Glasgow to Saturn and The Open Mouse.
Most recently, her work was selected to be performed by Liars' League at two of their London-based events in 2020. 
Her first novel, be guid tae yer mammy, is being published by Unbound in May 2021.
https://unbound.com/books/be-guid-tae-yer-mammy/

Better Days

“It’s a war,” Mammy said.
Nae wan knows whit goes oan behind closed doors.
Stay at hame. Protect the NHS. Save lives.
We’ve fought oan aw fronts
And ah’m tired 
We’re aw tried 
O this world turnt upside doon.

Granda would’ve hud ten kittens
If he’d lived tae see
Every pub in Glasgae shut. 
“Puck the Rhona, bloody pint snatcher.”
A disgruntled shake o the heid.
“Even this didnae happen durin the Blitz!”

“Tae hell wi any law that keeps me fae ma church!”
Granny would’ve said. 
Convinced prayers can move mountains. 
God’s gat his work cut oot fur him this year. 
“Zoom? That’s an even dafter name than Facebox.” 

Oor pals, family, are absent.
Hidin behind screens
And masks. 
Memories and ghosts fur company. 
We must dae oor bit fur the world.

‘Breathless’ blastin fae car windaes in March.
A rare laugh heidin back fae the hospital. 
‘Do they know it’s Christmas?’ through foggy November streets. 
Everything’s changed, 
But we’re still here. 
Oor ain story fur the grandweans. 

Mammy’s always coonted 
The world’s blessings. 
“We’ve seen the back o that gabshite in the White Hoose.”
Watched the internet proclaim,
“Melania, yer finally free!”

Nae first footers this year,
Wur no riskin o that unwelcome guest.
Jackie Bird can gie it laldy fae a distance 
And we’ll huv a dram
A toast tae better days tae come.