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




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

weengs streekit
scart stauns on a clint
neb tae the licht




cruciform on a rock
cormorant stands
face to the light

the auld cuddie
stauns govein
intae the wund




the old horse
stands staring
into the wind

tentie fir the kingfisher
twa doos jyne me
thair green an pink thrapples




watching for the kingfisher
two pigeons join me
their green and pink throats

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

twa freens oxter an pairt
in the lift
soothboond geese




two friends hug and part
in the sky
southbound geese

furst leaves fawin
a laddie stauns
pikein's neb




first leaves falling
a young boy stands
picking his nose

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

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




on the football field
one half seagulls
one half crows

hairst
a lane bummer
chacks ilka fuchsia bell




autumn
a lone bee
checks each fuchsia bell

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

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

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

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 his carebed
he skews roon
hearkens tae the bell-ringers




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

hairst
on a lanesome roddin
a hinmaist breer




autumn
on a lonesome path
a last dog-rose

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

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 a 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

hairst mornin
stame sweils up
frae the gean




autumn morning
steam rises
from the cherry tree

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

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

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
the leet o seeck tae pray fir
sterts tae growe




first sunday of autumn
the list of sick to pray for
starts to grow

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 glass
watching the rain

the-day
a rairin frae the
quate treen o simmer




today
a roaring from the
silent trees of summer