Monday, July 31, 2006

boo'd intae the wund:
pilgrimers
himes




bent into the wind:
pilgrims
hymns

Sunday, July 30, 2006

sica quate muir
twa deuks squaik:
smitches yondermaist




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

Saturday, July 29, 2006

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 muin'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
agane the fume
o buddleia -
simmer nivver foryets




again the fragrance
of buddleia -
summer never forgets

Friday, July 28, 2006

nuin het
three tikes ligg
daffin i thair drames




noon heat
three dogs lie
chasing their dreams

Thursday, July 27, 2006

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

(Mainichi Daily News - english version only)

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

on the gean
a saicont flourishin -
bindweed tooters




on the cherry tree
a second blossoming -
bindweed trumpets

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

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




school-gates chained
dark windows
...a bully's black-ee
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

Saturday, July 22, 2006

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

Friday, July 21, 2006

simmer sabbath
deuks tissle wi bairns
fir room i the funtain




summer sunday
ducks vie with children
for space in the fountain

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

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

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

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

Monday, July 17, 2006

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
makars' eemages
alang the watterside -
awbody maits the swans




poets' busts
along the riverside -
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

Sunday, July 16, 2006

gutties in a bing -
faur aff
the soun o lauchter




sandals 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

Saturday, July 15, 2006

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
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

Friday, July 14, 2006

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

Thursday, July 13, 2006

his new hame
meesick o the weet
fouin orra pats




his new home
music of raindrops
filling odd-sized pots
throuch a navis-bore
bindweed -
a bell on's bike




through a knot-hole
bindweed -
a bell on 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

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

sauchs shawin
thair siller side
cailleachs haudin thair bunnets




willows showing
their silver side
old ladies holding their hats

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

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

Monday, July 10, 2006

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

Saturday, July 08, 2006

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
a 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 tentie
o the 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

Friday, July 07, 2006

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

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

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

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

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

Monday, July 03, 2006

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

Sunday, July 02, 2006

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
ludgin-hoose:
a nakit bulb - waddin raing
refleckin




lodging-house:
a naked bulb - wedding ring
reflecting
trystin cunyie -
dowps
strawn




first-daters' corner -
cigarette-ends
strewn
hame toon -
scancin thair nebs:
the lyart- heidit




home town -
scanning their faces:
the grey-haired
bourach o chords -
derk burds heave up
frae a nakit tree




cluster of chords -
dark birds rise
from a leafless tree
the train's sheddae
whinners ower thaim:
kintra bairns




the train's shadow
passes over them:
country children
weet poors -
amang the gean flourish
ink-bleck brainches




rain pours -
amongst the cherry blossom
ink-black branches
kirk replenishins -
throuch Easter incaains
hemmert stobs




church repairs -
through Easter devotions
driven nails

Saturday, July 01, 2006

liftit aff
flee retours an retours
tae the wine-soggit brod




lifted off
fly returns and returns
to the wine-soaked table
peerie leafboat
the sea-maw's nebbitness
wracks it on the strand




little leafboat
the gull's inquisitiveness
wrecks it on the shore
nid noddin
...the haar's swallaed
the wuid




forty winks
...mist has swallowed
the forest
the hauf gane lassie
sits the bairn on her knap
they swey tae a lilt




the pregnant girl
sits the child on her bump
they sway to a rhythm