Saturday, September 30, 2006

hinny dreips
intae the tost's howes -
douce perks o Bulgaria




honey drips
into the toast's cavities -
sweet fields of Bulgaria

Friday, September 29, 2006

weengs streekit
scart stauns on a clint
neb tae the licht




cruciform on a rock
cormorant stands
face to the light

Thursday, September 28, 2006

the auld cuddie
stauns govein
intae the wund




the old horse
stands staring
into the wind

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

monks chaunt
blue bonnet pikes the cill:
mait we cannae see





monks chant
blue tit pecks the cill:
food we can't see
birslin wedder
a haip o snaw
ootby the ice-rink




scorching weather
a heap of snow
outside the ice-rink
freens oxter an pairt -
in the lift
soothboond geese




friends hug and part -
in the sky
southbound geese

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

furst leaves fawin
a laddie stauns
pikein's neb




first leaves falling
a young boy stands
picking his nose

Monday, September 25, 2006

throuch the wuids
a trail o tuim
chessie huils




through the woods
a trail of empty
chestnut shells
e'en in ma den
leaves fawin
...the bonsai




even in my den
leaves falling
...the bonsai
throuch the brucken paling
ma neebor -
baith o's up in years




through the broken fence
my neighbour -
both of us growing old

Sunday, September 24, 2006

on the fitbaw pitch
yin hauf sea-maws
yin hauf craws




on the football field
one half seagulls
one half crows

Saturday, September 23, 2006

hairst:
an umwhile bummer
chacks ilka fuchsia bell




autumn:
a late bee
checks each fuchsia bell

Thursday, September 21, 2006

ambulance ilka day:
ma neebor stours'r
glooms oot an awa




daily ambulance:
my neighbour rushes her
depression out...away
brucken shanks
blawn intae a neuk
aye flourishin




broken stalks
blown into a corner
still blossoming

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

postie
scartin's heid -
a wesps' byke bi the sneck




postman
scratching his head -
a wasps' nest by the latch
liftin the peerie snail
broozilt its shall -
it snuves aff wi the lave




lifting the baby snail
crushed its shell -
it glides off with what's left
the nicht it taps
e'en the fleedlit castle:
the fleedlit muin




tonight it tops
even the floodlit castle:
the floodlit moon
a fest day...
is...
a...slaw...day




a fast day...
is...
a...slow...day
the cailleach rouns
the stookie on her knees -
a lassie ootpits a text




the old lady rounds
the statue on her knees -
a young girl texts
Haly Mass
aneath leaf umberellaes
speuggies




Holy Mass
beneath leaf umbrellas
sparrows

Monday, September 18, 2006

reid stour -
throuch the vinyaird
the rosary hums




red dust -
through the vineyard
the rosary drones
crippilt
he stauns fir a photy:
derns's crummock




lame
he stands for a photograph:
hides his walking stick
in the weet
pilgrimers staun
umberellaes taigilt




in the rain
pilgrims stand
umbrellas tangled
flicht hindert
cailleachs keckle:
ower lang i the howf




flight delayed
old ladies giggle:
too long in the bar

Sunday, September 10, 2006

clapt tae the winnock
its glower fous the chaumer -
spinnin jenny




stuck to the window
its gaze fills the room -
daddy-long-legs
cluds rowe awa -
craw bangs up frae
a perk o yella gowans




clouds roll away -
crow rises from
a field of buttercups
on's carebed
he skews roon
hearkens tae the bell-ringers




on his sick-bed
he turns to listen
to the bell-ringers

Saturday, September 09, 2006

hairst
on a lanesome roddin
a hinmaist breer




autumn
on a lonesome path
a last dog-rose

Friday, September 08, 2006

govein intae
a deep puil
fisher...makar




gazing into
a deep pool
fisherman...poet
nicht vaig -
aheid o me,
cat's een an sterns




night journey -
ahead of me,
cat's eyes and stars
roarie sooth-moothers -
yowes staun
...glower




noisy mainlanders -
sheep stand
...stare
treen 'r quate
fush kythe i the dub -
his gran-bairns awa hame




trees are quiet
fish appear in the pond -
his grand-children have gone

Thursday, September 07, 2006

frae the winnock
a hairst efternuin -
ma sheddae liggs on the bed




from the window
an autumn afternoon -
my shadow lies on the bed
the bairn swithers
atween the skwurrel
an the throu-gaun train




the toddler
caught between the squirrel
and the passing train
hame frae the ferrier
dour-nebbit
cairryin a wechtie seck




home from the vet
grim-faced
carrying a heavy sack
in the baurber's keekin gless
set o ma faither's powe
aneath thinnin herr




in the barber's looking glass
shape of my father's skull
beneath thinning hair
the burthday balloon
fankilt i the gairden
ilka day mair runkilt




the birthday balloon
trapped in the garden
more wrinkled each day
doverin on a bink
her herr plashes
muinlit




asleep on a bench
her hair cascades
moonlit
amang the trees' green
straiks o yalla
...mair nor yestreen




amongst the trees' green
streaks of yellow
...more than yesterday

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

hairst mornin -
stame sweils up
frae the gean




autumn morning -
steam rises
from the cherry tree

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

a bodie's cairpet
happin the claddach
pattren still vieve




somebody's carpet
covering the riverbed
design still vivid
roukie day
on the riggin-heid
humphie-backit doos




damp day
on the roof-ridge
hunchbacked pigeons
smirr
a simmer's wirth o wabs
staun oot




drizzle
a summer's worth of webs
exposed

Monday, September 04, 2006

throuch the leaf's striffin
a singul seed
fleitin doon the watter




through the leaf's membrane
a single seed
floating downstream
wesp dowps doon
amang the haiku
turns tae yin




wasp sits down
amongst the haiku
becomes one
knell o the jogger
corsin the steel brig
deuks sperfle




boom of the jogger
crossing the steel bridge
ducks scatter

Sunday, September 03, 2006

sha hauds the bairn
up tae the madonna
flooers daunce i the weet




she holds the child
up to the madonna
flowers dance in the rain
furst sabbath o hairst -
incaains fir the seek
stert tae growe




first sunday of autumn -
prayers for the sick
start to grow

Saturday, September 02, 2006

a slaw day o weet
a bairge hauds by
...strenth tae waff




a slow day of rain
a barge passes
...strength to wave
the auld brig
whaur luvers pree'd:
its saft stane, concrete nou




the old bridge
where lovers kissed:
its soft stone, concrete now
eller-berries
rife fir pouin -
a rantin wunter




elder-berries
ready for picking -
a merry winter
rugby saison -
broo agin the lozen
tentie o the weet




rugby season -
forehead against the pane
watching the rain

Friday, September 01, 2006

the-day
a rairin frae the
quate treen o simmer




today
a roaring from the
silent trees of summer