maybe babashka too? lightweight clojure with scripting features.

https://github.com/babashka/babashka

I think part of the issue with using another language can be highlighted here

> The problem with the current build system could be characterized as too large a gap between C and make and the next runnable element, which is either Chez Scheme or Racket BC; neither of those are simple to build. Zuo, a tiny Racket, is an intermediate step to bridge that gap.

A few years ago I've written my own (still experimental) in Rust:

https://github.com/volution/vonuvoli-scheme

The main usecase for this was exactly scripting and systems-programming in Scheme.

And https://practical-scheme.net/gauche/index.html