Self-published Scottish poet, 92, surpasses bestselling Amanda Gorman as his verse touches hearts worldwide

One day, nonagenarian Gordon S. McCulloch was passing the days with his pony in a small English village, penning poems that only his friends and family would read.

The next, his self-published collection of verse, “101 Poems,” was at the top of Amazon’s sales charts and bedecked with five-star reviews from all over the world.

It was quite a shock for the widower who lost his wife to cancer seven years ago and has kept to himself, writing verse that he would read to his obliging progeny.

It started with a granddaughter’s Twitter appeal last month for friends and family to review her grandfather’s poetry collection, which he published in March.

Suddenly her tweet had gone viral, and his book had blasted past both U.S. Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman and Indian-born Canadian author Rupi Kaur on Amazon. First it topped the poetry charts, then commanded the overall list soon after, The Guardian reported.

The Scottish retiree was a bestselling poet at 92.

His self-published work, titled simply “101 Poems,” came out on March 24, covering, as he wrote in the forward, “a wide range of topics such as love, romance, relationships, religion, prayers, the meaning of life, death and our relationship with God.”

The five-star reviews followed, nearly 2,000 of them, leaving McCulloch “completely chuffed,” his 57-year-old son, William McCulloch, told Scotland’s Daily Record. “He’s got a wee spring in his step as well.”

One reviewer said it was “honestly one of the most beautiful works of poetry I have ever read,” while another called it “a lovely testimony to the beauty of life.”

Lines such as, “Because I found you in my life / you made this world for me / a heaven filled with ecstasy / a place worthwhile to be,” in “You,” an ode to his late wife, clearly grabbed heartstrings.

So did “The Reckoning,” which describes a luminous angel, beckoning with “smiling eyes” and holding a “snow-white shroud” in his hand.

“I did not hesitate/ he told me I must come with him / as the light began to fade. / I saw the life that which I led / flash by me in a second / and all the rights and all the wrongs / for me would soon be reckoned.”

It was his dad’s “lifelong dream” to publish his poetry, William McCulloch told the Daily Record.

“My dad has been writing for ages and tried for years to get them published,” William McCulloch said. “All the art is his, and the poems are about his life and my mum Mary, who died from cancer about seven years ago. He has been handing out copies to his neighbors and some people asked him to sign their book, he thinks he’s a celebrity now. It has been really good though, and really gave him a boost, which has been great.”

Now McCulloch has fame, and a relationship with fans, to add to his list of potential poetry topics. A sequel may even be in the works.

“What started as a family project just so all my grandpa’s poems were in the same place and an attempt at getting a few reviews from family and friends has escalated into an unimaginable dream of his,” granddaughter Jessica Keachie wrote on Twitter. “We only expected 100 books to sell, but now his words are all over the world. I am thankful I’ve been able to put a smile on his face because that was all I wanted. I hope the love from this gives people comfort and hope that unbelievable things do happen. No dream is too big or too late.”