boo'd intae the wund
pilgrimers
himes




bent into the wind
pilgrims
hymns

sica quate muir
twa deuks squaik:
smitches yondermaist




such a silent moor
two ducks squawk:
dots on the horizon

ma blin neebor
fingers ilka new blume
...an smirks




my blind neighbour
fingers each new bloom
...and smiles

pouin snail
frae ma door -
his glisterin fuit




prising snail
from my door -
his glistening foot

airlie brakfast
clockers skelterin
aw bit yin...hirplin nou




early breakfast
cockroaches scuttling
except one...limping now

drucken lauchter
tassies fleet i the puil -
saiklessness
o a new muin's lip




drunken laughter
cups float in the pool -
pureness
of a new moon's edge

a perfit raing
o ill-colourit girse -
riven posters




a perfect circle
of discoloured grass -
torn posters

swaws rattlin
ower the herbour wa -
maw flees...gaes naewey




waves crashing
over the harbour wall -
gull flies...goes nowhere

ah...yince mair
the fume o buddleia -
simmer nivver foryets




ah...once more
the fragrance of buddleia -
summer never forgets

kintra kirk
hamelt lairstanes:
pent-rins




country church
home-made headstones:
paint-runs

nuin het
three tikes ligg
daffin i thair drames




noon heat
three dogs lie
chasing their dreams

blithefou skirls
frae the puil -
the mither's tirr ower
...the noo




joyous squeals
from the pool -
the mother's tantrums over
...for the moment

bein duntit
bi bummers an butteries -
buddleia in blume




being bumped
by bees and butterflies -
buddleia in bloom

on the gean
a saicont flourishin -
bindweed tooters




on the cherry tree
a second blossoming -
bindweed trumpets

scuil-yetts lockfast
derk winnocks
a bangster's bleck-ee - lang syne




school-gates chained
dark windows
a bully's black-eye - long ago

a fire-flaucht
ower the firth
jaup o the watter




a shooting-star
over the estuary
slap of the water

aw day
reddin rods
bi nicht a soutar




all day
scything roads
by night a shoemaker

liggin amang
biddy bottles' sheddaes
jakies blithe i the sin




lying amongst
wine bottles' shadows
winos enjoying the sun

jazz session -
sparks jinkin
doon the winnock




jazz session -
raindrops zigzagging
down the window

mawin -
dugwuid flourish
doon ma neck




mowing -
dogwood blossom
down my collar

simmer sabbath
deuks tissle wi bairns
fir room i the funtain




summer sunday
ducks vie with children
for space in the fountain

bummer bourachs
amang the stamens
clematis petals faw




bee rummages
amongst the stamens
clematis petals fall

blues i the gairden
a singul wab-threid
dirls i the souch




blues in the garden
a single web-thread
vibrates in the breeze

his cairts knack
an brattle aw nicht -
we baith daff at patience




his cards snap
and rattle all night -
we both play patience

reid-lit hures
in thair winnocks -
a sally-ann tooter




red-lit whores
in their windows -
a salvationist cornet

licht skites atween
the hystit bicker
an the youthie priest's sax




light glances between
the raised chalice
and the young priest's sax

a splore at the burn's heid -
tuim yill bottles
...a brust fitbaw




a picnic upstream -
empty beer bottles
...a burst football

a dollar tae the gangrel -
he speirs at Goad
tae bliss me




a dollar
to the down-and-out -
he asks God to bless me

...waffin's airms
stottin aboot -
maun be a week-en sonnet




...waving his arms
staggering about -
must be a week-end story

sica fou life
butterie - nivver yince
a straucht line




such a full life
butterfly - never once
a straight line

tinkler
blithe in's duddies
in's muckle hame




tramp
happy in his rags
in his huge home

hemmerin...
the biggins heave up
the sheddaes spreid




hammering...
the buildings rise
the shadows spread

aw nicht lang
taigled in a singul bed -
a moose hus oor chaumer




all night long
tangled in a single bed -
a mouse has our room

riverside causey
makars' eemages -
awbody feeds the swans




riverside walk
poets' busts -
everybody feeds the swans

heelster gowdie
the fleein draigon pous'm
...an awmaist intae the sea




head-over-heels
the kite pulls him
...and almost into the sea

connacht boats
steetit up on the girse
aw forenent the sea




damaged boats
propped up on the grass
all facing the sea

gutties in a bing
faur aff
the soun o lauchter




trainers in a heap
far off
the sound of laughter

licht
throuch the shall
pinks the bathwatter




light
through the conch
pinks the bathwater

mappie in the sheddae -
throuch the leaves
sin pattrens his fur




rabbit in the shade -
through the leaves
sun patterns his fur

i the mids
o jazz maisic
a butterie wyvein




in the midst
of jazz music
a butterfly weaving

ootby the howf
an upturnt tuba
inby, upturnt jazzers




outside the pub
an upturned tuba
inside, upturned jazzers

samen time ilka day:
the amaretto skailin
intae the coffee




same time every day:
the amaretto spilling
into the coffee

blue bonnet landit
on the bodach's chist -
baith dumfounert




tit landed
on the old man's chest -
both amazed

pouin grosets
his hankie
blocht reid




picking gooseberries
his handkerchief
stained red

the koi hoves
an wi the lotus
goves lift-wan




the koi rises
and with the lotus
gazes sky-ward

baudrons skooks -
twa weengs ligg lowst
bluid on the pens




cat skulks -
two wings lie detached
blood on the quills

fower speuggie chooks
tentie on the paling
craik o the shooglin-sate




four sparrow chicks
alert on the fence
creak of the rocking-chair

trashie wedder
hern's erse-fedders
weet




rain for days
heron's bum-feathers
wet

tap flee'r yince
gled keeks at the dous - syne
trauchles intae the sheddaes




air-ace once
hawk peeps at the pigeons - then
trudges into the shadows

his new hame
meesick o the weet
fouin orra pats




his new home
music of raindrops
filling odd-sized pots

throuch the navis-bore
bindweed - bells hing
frae's bike




through the knot-hole
bindweed - bells hang
from his bicycle

luvers
on the strand -
a swaw foonderin




lovers
on the beach -
a wave collapsing

keek o day
the auld hoose
sterts tae craik




dawn
the old house
begins to creak

pelican sortin itsel
sea-maws sklent
sum keckle



the pelican preens
gulls look on
some make a laughing sound

sauchs shawin
thair siller side
cailleachs haudin thair bunnets




willows showing
their silver side
old ladies holding their hats

whaur speuggie howkit
oot the grun -
bairns plunkin bools




where sparrow
had his dust bath -
children playing marbles

waggities gane -
beelders ding doon
the hinmaist wa




wagtails gone -
builders demolish
the last wall

tentie o the watter
fleetin intae
the burnbecker's mou




watching the river
running into
the dipper's mouth

in the scuilyaird
skailt flourish
rowes an tummles




in the school playground
blossoms
race and tumble

keek o day -
a wabt fuit
hingin frae's seck




dawn -
a webbed foot
hanging from his sack

trystin wi'r aff the train
heeldin's chaft tae be preed -
she humphs her graith




meeting her off the train
inclines his cheek to be kissed -
she lugs her case

bairns fling sticks
at fawin leaves -
her een watshod




children throw sticks
at falling leaves -
her eyes full of tears

(war cemetery near arnhem)

hoalidy siller gane
we staun in 'McDONALDS' -
ootlins in an ootlin lan




broke
we stand in 'McDONALDS' -
strangers in a strange land

throuch the preachin
licht on a clootie dall's neb
...the reiddest lips




during the sermon
light on a rag doll's face
...the reddest lips

wunnerfae!
snawdraps
I cannae mynd pittin doon




wonderful!
snowdrops
I can't remember planting

a platch o colour
in a dreich toun -
saris




a splash of colour
in a drab city -
saris

a blissin frae the priest -
thooms up frae
the down's syndrome laddie




the priest blesses us -
thumbs up from
the down's syndrome boy

anither vaige
anither chaumer
sheddaes on the wa




another journey
another room
shadows on the wall

november
snell ludgins
yin burthday cairt




november
cold lodgings
one birthday card

reid rab goves:
a dorbie dressin stane
jeelin wund...reid neb




the robin watches:
a mason carving stone
freezing wind...red nose

auld dorbie
hoastin...pechin -
the laddies ee's graith




old mason
coughing...gasping -
the boys eye his tools

he fettles buits
bi lamplicht...sheddaes
lowpin roun'm




he mends boots
by lamplight...shadows
leaping around him

brummles
hauf-hid i the dyke -
sin's licht birslin thaim




brambles
half-hidden in the hedgerow -
sun's light warming them

in the tuim chaumer
her baffies
a striddle apairt




in the empty room
her slippers
a stride apart

wund...reeshlin leaves
a yinness
ye cannae sinder




wind...rustling leaves
the inseperable
oneness

graveyaird
grown up -
life's rin the rig




graveyard
overgrown -
life run riot

cruet hauf-fou
o sheddae -
mak dae wi tae




carafe half-full
of shadow -
make do with tea

sin in's cot
the muntain dug
haits ma haun




sun in his coat
the mountain dog
warms my hand

soor dook
in an alpine meedie
the lift fous a peerie loch




buttermilk
in an alpine meadow
the sky fills a tiny lake

oot frae the haar
...an intae the haar
hern snuves




out of the mist
...and into the mist
heron glides

bletherin haivers
the drouthy claps
the bairn's heid




talking gibberish
the wino pats
the baby's head

dreid on a vaige:
dirdum o vyces
knackin tinnies




dread on a journey:
raised voices
snapping cans

stuckies dookin
in a clairtie dub -
speuggies...sic a stramash




starlings bathing
in a muddy puddle -
sparrows...such a din

simmer shour
the mappie slaiks's fur
bleckie casts bricht beads




summer shower
the rabbit licks his fur
blackbird sheds bright beads

a skein o geese -
het
on the howe's haunle




a skein of geese -
warmth
on the hoe's handle

simmer mawin
the tractor sterts
the meedie lowps




summer mowing
the tractor starts
the meadow leaps

the fite baudrons
its luif amang
the doverin fush




the white cat
its paw amongst
the sleeping fish

a hameless chiel
doverin on the causey
his cuppit haun hauden oot




a homeless man
asleep on the pavement
his cupped hand held out

burds hunkert
on the pikit weer -
jylet chiels' upturnt nebs




birds perched
on the razor-wire -
prisoners' upturned faces

snaw
in a mizzilt fuitprent
wirm upwreils agin the wa's




snow
in a melted footprint
worm rears against the walls

cou pishin -
it spleiters intae
the waggitie's nest




cow pissing -
it splashes into
the wagtail's nest

waggities mowin -
foggies back an fore
settin oot




wagtails mating -
pensioners to and fro
planting

mids the ramstam
a lassie stauns
neb tae the sin




rush hour
a young girl stands
face to the sun

dowie lass
govein intae
sweelin reek




sad girl
staring into
spirals of smoke

chinese lassie...we smile -
throuch the connacht ruif
cluds corse the lift




chinese girl...we smile -
through the damaged roof
clouds cross the sky

preenacks
whitterin
an unclaimit praisent




pine-needles
pattering
an unclaimed gift