The poet contrasts Brendon Gallacher’s exciting, tragic background with the later reveal that he never existed. This highlights the speaker’s admiration and emotional attachment, showing that Brendon was an escape from reality. Perhaps this realization creates a deep sense of loss, as if a real friend has been lost.

The poem's perhaps structure mirrors childhood storytelling, with a natural flow that makes Brendon feel real to the reader, just as he does to the speaker. The length also helps establish a sense of nostalgia and loss, enhancing the poem’s emotional weight. The sudden, abrupt ending intensifies the impact of Brendon’s "death," leaving a lingering sense of grief and emptiness.

The poet shows that she feels attached to Brendon Gallacher, who was introduced as her friend. This can be shown when she says 'he would hold my hand' and also when she said she 'likes meeting him by the burn in the open air'.

The poet also shows how the two are polar opposites. In the very first stanza, when both their backgrounds are introduced, we can clearly see that there are many differences among them like being 'irish and scottish'. The technique used is juxtaposition. It may refer to how Scottish and irish people have a historical tension among them, which goes to show despite them being from different nationalities, they still deeply admire each other.

Later, we find out that the character is imaginery. A shift in the poems mood is shown in the last line of the third stanza with the phrase 'then one day'. This changes the tone of the poem and brings out different emotions. 'Died' could show how she was in a state of mourning and how deeply attached she was with him even though he was imaginery. Also, her describing him with 'spiky hair' and 'impish grin' shows that she paid close attention to him and misses him.

The poet would also go "by the river" with Brendon Gallacher and he'd "hold my (her) hand," indicating that they shared a close bond, and they'd talk "all about his family being poor." This may suggest that the poet empathizes with him, and the use of alliteration also adds rhythm to the poem.

However, the poet may also be embarrassed to introduce him to her mother, as when her mother suggests "having him round to dinner," she says that "he's got big holes in his trousers," further emphasizing on his family being poor, and how the poet empathises with him.

Jackie Kay portrays the personnas feelings towards Brendon Gallacher as her beloved lover, as she refers to Brendon Gallacher with "my" symbolizing her possession and how he is hers. Their relationship can be further emphasized by the exchange of personal things such as "his family being poor" and how "his father was in prison". This highlights how the personna trusts Brendon and vice-versa.

Furthermore, all the sentences in the poem end with the letter "r" perhaps portraying the childish theme of the poem by giving it a nursery rhyme theme.

The regular stanza length reflects the predictability and comfort the persona sought by being around Brendon Gallacher. Perhaps it could show how the poet herself has had a tough childhood which is shown by the reference to 'communist,' reflecting political instability and emotional turmoil which led the persona to seek comfort in her imagination.

The caesura in 'some place nice. some place far.' creates a pause and emphasises an echo of someplace calmer and shows contrast between her hometown and a better place, projecting her desires onto Brendon Gallacher.

A contrast between reality and imagination is created when the persona describes the differences between her and Brendon Gallacher's lives. The contrast between 'six' and 'one' brother(s) shows the disappointing truth of being realistic and conventional.