blinterin on the brae
the sheenin jaikets
o scuil bairns




flickering on the hill
the luminous vests
of school children

the roddens
fawin agane this year
faw ontae's mool




the rowan berries
falling again this year
fall onto his grave

the pram
skitein roon the cunyie
faither an bairn skreekin




the pram
cornering on two wheels
father and child yahooing!

heich wunds
bairns an leaves
in a bourach...scuil-bell




high winds
children and leaves
in confusion...school-bell

jile warder's hoose
pikit weer sheddaes
athort the winnock




prison warder's house
barbed-wire shadows
across the window

craws an maggies
jinkin mang the brainches
shooers o leaves




crows and magpies
dodging amongst the branches
showers of leaves

monks chaunt
wund gurls
the lown no fasht




monks chant
wind howls
silence undisturbed

a far awa skelloch
the laddie's dug
hus rin afore traffeck




a distant scream
the young boy's dog
has run in front of traffic

burn in spate
unnerwatter leaves
stour alang




flooded stream
underwater leaves
race along

someplace
i the rouky perks
muck spreidin




somewhere
in the misty fields
manure spreading

atween shooers
craw an me
tentie o the lift




between showers
crow and I
watching the sky

hairst shill
faw'n leaves
stert tae cleek




autumn chill
fallen leaves
start to clench

oor throu-gaun train -
bairns waff fushin-nets
...jalousin they hae caucht nocht




our passing train -
children wave fishing-nets
...thinking they caught nothing

vaiges hindert
dour nebs
coos dauner tae mulkin




journeys halted
grim faces
cows stroll to milking

athort the glen
anely
craws vice




across the valley
only
crows voice

kaimin
her bairn's herr
...watters o'r hamelan




combing
her child's hair
...rivers of her homeland

we rist apairt -
rackets
lichtin the chaumer




we rest apart -
rockets
lighting the room

alane, she scarts
her nem i the saun
...taks tent o't dwinin




alone, she scratches
her name in the sand
...watches it disappear

scuil-yetts sneckt
a cowpt heid
in yin lit winnock




school-gates locked
a bent head
in one lit window

gloamin -
a gairden graip stucken
in a hauf-howkit gairden




dusk -
a garden fork stuck
in a half-dug garden

dubs diddle wi weet -
pit by the truan
tak doon the guitar




puddles dance with rain -
put the trowel away
take down the guitar

bluid slawin
hoo braw
haitin ma feet agin hers




ciculation slowing
how wonderful
heating my feet against hers

tak tent o the weet
thrum a pickle blues
yin mair leaf faws




watch the rain
play a little blues
one more leaf falls

weet poors
thunners
on snail's shall




rain pours
thunders
on snail's shell

at the apen door
muin an me
tentie fir'r




at the open door
moon and I
watching for her

ilka day
mair an mair licht
throuch the wuids




every day
more and more light
through the forest

speuggie sowpin
frae the rone, cannie
no tae dunt his heid




sparrow drinking from
the guttering, careful
not to bump his head

thair eldritch nebs
i the derkness -
Goth no Noh




their ghostly faces
in the darkness -
Goth not Noh

a burdless tree
brainches fou
o perkin cones




a birdless tree
branches full
of parking cones

hairst -
ploos derkenin
the simmer perks




autumn -
ploughs darkening
the summer fields

leaves daise
vietnam vets
hiddle i the perk




leaves rot
vietnam vets
huddle in the park


(one Autumn in San Francisco)

leafdrifts
...cailleachs
haudin thair bunnets




leafdrifts
...old ladies
holding their hats

sweengin heich
a young wumman alane
i the scuilyaird




swinging high
a young woman alone
in the playground

spleet-new hearin-aid
hairst peths
...deefenin




new hearing-aid
autumn paths
...deafening

the drouthie
shakkin a fit
tae seelent meesick




the drunk
dancing
to silent music

muinlicht -
the deein mappie's
bluid




moonlight -
the dying rabbit's
blood

gean's hinmaist leaves -
in thair orange licht
reid Rab elys




cherry tree's last leaves -
in their orange light
the robin disappears

yaisin his hemmer
furst time in years - gin a sweer
wull the deid hearken?




using his hammer
first time in years - if I swear
will the dead hear?

indian simmer
wesps aye in the easin
windae-cleaner hauds by




indian summer
wasps still in the eaves
window-cleaner passes by

tentie o the stot
o thochts -
geese flee sooth




watching the movement
of thoughts -
geese fly south

campers gane
yowes nip
on a bricht spat




campers gone
sheep graze
on a bright patch

laid aff -
t.v. blinters
athort his neb




redundant -
t.v. flickers
across his face

haudin by the college
ilka day finnin
clinks fir Africa




passing the college
every day finding
pennies for Africa

slawly
fleitin doon the burn
aipples




slowly
floating down the stream
apples

toon plainstanes
aneath ilka tree
leaves tae dump throuch




city pavements
beneath every tree
leaves to kick through

rumpin the girse
at the en o's tedder -
hull pownie




cropping the grass
at the end of his tether -
hill pony

in the winnock
the fushmunger
his fite-sherk's fin cowe




in the window
the fishmonger
his white-shark's fin haircut

i the howe o the brainches
a leaf glents
the tirl turnin it...on...aff...




in the deepest branches
a leaf glitters
the breeze turning it ...on...off...

dug bydes patientfou
his maister gaithers keech
taks dug hame,stowes'm




dog waits patiently
his master gathers turds
takes dog home,feeds him

(Samsara)

a fowersome
o maggies -
no a sang amang thaim




a quartet
of magpies -
not a song amongst them

lattin doon the bottles
intae the bucket quietlik
...the neebors




lowering the bottles
into the bin quietly
...the neighbours

hailin preachin:
the Haly Iles,aye -
bit syne the sassenger rowes!




healing service:
the Holy Oils,yes -
but later the sausage rolls!

autistic laddie
bears the gree:nevels the air -
no sae unalike




the autistic boy
wins the prize:punches the air -
not so different

aw day
brainches wallopin
swaws i the burd-bath




all day
branches thrashing
waves in the bird-bath

claggin the en
o the vennel -
a hairst muin




blocking the end
of the narrow street -
a harvest moon

bricht muin
yin fuff
an it wull be fou




bright moon
one puff
and it will be full

the cry tae worship -
twa hirds
gove athort the perks




the call to prayer -
two shepherds
gaze across the fields

haijin tryst -
haiku tasht
wi Drambuie




haijin meet -
haiku stained
with Drambuie

the hoose no fired -
follaein a sinblink
tae the tosiest sate




no heating yet -
following a sunbeam
to the warmest seat

a cry 'guid mornin'
the deef chiel's dug
wingles its tail




I call 'good morning'
the deaf man's dog
wags its tail

ma manic freen waffs -
a guid day
no a sheddae on the burn




my manic friend waves -
a good day
not a shadow on the stream

reid rodden in's
gowden neb - bleckie
sits mythological lik




red rowan in his
golden beak - blackbird
sits mythological like

ayont the weet
cluds an licht daff
at bein oniethin




beyond the rain
clouds and light play
at being anything

october mornin
on a rod rinnin atween
the sin an the muin




october morning
on a road running between
the sun and the moon