By Mac McKechnie
Once I had a few ideas, and put them down on paper,
Didn’t know how to use them, so saved them all for later.
Little scraps of wonder, half-thoughts in the rain,
Lines that made me smile, and some that spoke of pain.
They waited there in silence, between coffee rings and stains,
In notebooks and on napkins, like half-forgotten names.
But words are seeds with patience, they never go to waste—
Each one holds a story, each one holds a taste.
I found them in a drawer once, tucked beneath old bills,
Between a letter never sent, and dreams that gave me chills.
And when I read them over, they whispered something true—
That even when you doubt it, the words remember you.
So I gathered up those fragments, the ones I almost lost,
Polished them with kindness, no matter what the cost.
Some I stitched to fiction, others shaped as rhyme,
Some became a moment, captured outside time.
They grew into a chorus, into laughter, and also into light,
Into late-night revelations and mornings warm and bright.
They taught me how to listen, to notice, to believe,
That even quiet musings have magic up their sleeve.
So now I build a garden from every word I find,
A place where thoughts can wander, and peace can clear the mind.
It started with some scribbles, unsure and left unseen,
But now they bloom on pages in colours bold and keen.
If you have words, then keep them—no matter how they start.
You might just find they’re treasures, tucked deep within your heart.
For stories grow in silence, in corners of the soul—
Once scattered seeds of meaning, now finally made whole.
Author Bio:
Mac Mckechnie is a Yorkshireman who lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Now aged 75, he has the welcome luxury of time to return to his lifelong love of writing.
He leads a creative writing group in Barnsley, where many of his ideas are sparked and shaped through shared storytelling and discussion. Mac is a family man with several hobbies, and an active member of the organisation u3a, where he leads both a Kurling group and the writing group.
Mac is also an active Christian and serves as Pastor of his local church in Barnsley.
He has written several books over the years — with science fiction and Westerns among his favourite genres — yet he remains equally drawn to the simple animal adventures that coloured his childhood.
This collection brings together short stories and poems inspired by his u3a writing groups and his own reflections on life. Mac is a recent winner of the Annual Scribble Magazine Short Story Competition 2025.
Mac’s next book, English John – The Long Trail West, a Western adventure, will be released in early 2026 in paperback and on Amazon.
Contact Author:
I can be contacted at:- mckechnie31@btinternet.com
