Kirkwall, Scotland is the Capitol of 67 Orkney Islands. <br />Its ancestors go back 5,000 years, yet the islands are little known. <br />They lie 10 miles off the northern tip of Scotland's <br />Bonnie shores with its mild climate gulf stream blown. Here the rolling wheat and oat fields knew the Orcadian past <br />About the time when the first Egyptian pyramids were built. <br />"Skara Brae Village," the best Neolithic site in all of Europe, was cast <br />In stone, with hearth and underground sewers, long covered with silt. The "Ring of Brodgar," a circle of tall stones, is a mystery too - <br />A miracle of engineering! When the Orcadians left the "Picts" to reside, <br />Along came the "Vikings." The Vikings became Scottish through and through <br />When, in 1468 King James III of Scotland, took a Dane as his bride. Today, on wild walks along the Hoy, you hear the calling plea <br />Of Arctic Skuas, Peregine Falcons and Puffins as they fly. <br />While close to barren cliffs, cavorting in the rough North Sea, <br />The porpoise, otters, seals and whales cruise by. Sheep graze the shores where their seaweed fare was wild-wind tossed. <br />These winds are being harnessed by an aero-generator at Bulger Hill. <br />Yet the history of the Orcadian's distant past will never be lost <br />While the ancientness of Brodgar and Skara Brae are breathing still!<br /><br />Barbara Jane Morris<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-orkney-islands-ancient-and-mysterious/
