hogmanay
eemages wabble in dubs
whuskie braiths




new year's eve
images wobble in puddles
whisky breaths

sin on thair riggins
they breenge towarts the muin
ower the trampit yirth




sun on their backs
they race towards the moon
over the trampled earth

(race meeting)

readin Issa
hearin
the weet fawin




reading Issa
hearing
the rain falling

ma peerie Buddha
nae hap fir's heid -
the bonsai's deid




my tiny Buddha
no cover for his head -
the bonsai is dead

New Orleans jazz -
throuchoot the hoose
ma Gran Marischal strunt




New Orleans jazz -
throughout the house
my Grand Marshal strut

blowster wairnin
the gairden sweeng
slawly sterts tae sweeng




gale warning
the garden swing
slowly starts to swing

deuks hyste thair heids
tak tent:
the fish-cadger's tooter




ducks raise their heads
listen:
the fishmonger's horn

snell wund frae the sea
a maw hunkers on a pall
greetin in'ts een




cold wind from the sea
a gull sits on a bollard
tears in its eyes

derk watter stourin
faemin fite
agin hern's trams




dark watter racing
foaming white
against heron's legs

boxin day
buckets skailin -
craws' Yule




boxing day
dustbins overflowing -
crows' Christmas

hinmaist day o advent
oot frae the haar
sumthin takkin shape




last day of advent
out from the freezing fog
something taking shape

burn in spate
the fairmer corses
on unvisible stanes




flooded river
the farmer crosses
on invisible stones

alane
at the bus-stap
a tuim yill bottle




alone
at the bus-stop
an empty beer bottle

Yule
throuch scuddit brainches
blue bonnets blinter




Christmas
through naked branches
blue tits flicker

maws
skirlin
juist wi joy




gulls
crying
just with joy

racin his maister:
the auld dug
his lang reid tung sweengin




racing his master:
the old dog
his long red tongue swinging

sundoon:
aye wairmth
in her rosary beads




sunset:
still warmth
in her rosary beads

Yule bells -
myndin a deid fere
...hingin




Christmas bells -
remembering a dead friend
...hanging

bawdrons tentie o me
threidin thairms
...wins awa suddent lik




cat watches me
threading gut strings
...suddenly leaves

blae lift
fuff-ba cluds
maggie haiks's tail athort




blue sky
puff-ball clouds
magpie drags his tail across

muckle
smoorichinsappieness:
twa winos




a lot of
huggingtouchingtenderness:
two winos

hivvie freest
dunt o the freezer
drappin ice-cubes




severe frost
thump of the freezer
dropping ice-cubes

furst freest -
a bodach an's eildit dug
uphaud ilk ither




first frost -
an old man and his old dog
support each other

hauns waffin o pine
we unfankle
whigmaleeries an sterns




hands smelling of pine
we untangle
baubles and stars

fitba fans
haud by tae warsle
he hings on's besom




football fans
pass by to conflict
he leans on his broom

sleekit craw
the day raggit craw
jachelt mang brainches




sleek crow
today ragged crow
tossed amongst branches

pairty time
the nicht e'en the muin
muinin




party time
tonight even the moon
mooning

oot frae the leaves
curlt intae a cleuch
a tint gliv




out from the leaves
curled into a clutch
a lost glove

syncopatit
the sparks
throuch ma laiky ruif




syncopated
the raindrops
through my leaky roof

weet blatters
on the balderies
they juist jig




rain beats
on the orchids
they just dance

the advent caunle
brenns awa anither day
the lowe chitters




the advent candle
burns away another day
the flame shivers

throuch the hailstanes
hollin berries
lichtin a rod




through the hail
holly berries
lighting a road

the laddie's dowie sang
a hert-shaped leaf
blaws tae ma feet




the boy's sad song
a heart-shaped leaf
blows to my feet

in the herth
a poinsettia
leamin




in the hearth
a poinsettia
glowing

burnside clartit
ablow the damheid
craw taks a shour




riverside littered
below the weir
crow takes a shower

December
meysies' peerie nebs
...yit




December
primroses' small faces
...still

in a borraed cot
new letters efter's nem:
weedower




in a borrowed coat
new letters after his name:
widower

wunter yirdin
abodie's braith
smoors the coffin




winter burial
everybody's breath
clouds the coffin

the auld mull dung doon -
muinlicht the nicht
in her chaumer




the old mill demolished -
moonlight tonight
in her room

bawdrons skooks
throuch the sheddaes
bluid on's neb




cat skulks
through the shadows
blood on his nose

abuin the scuilyaird skirls
maws whurl
...quatelik




above the playground screams
gulls wheel
...silently

Haly Mess
throuch the freestit gless
a flutherin o weengs




Holy Mass
through the frosted glass
a fluttering of wings

stoury nicht
billbrod liggs i the perk
bonnie lassie's neb clarty




stormy night
billboard lies in the field
beauty-queen's face dirty

efter the blatter
causey redd o leaves -
sum back on the brainches




after the storm
street clear of leaves -
some back on the branches

apenin the hingers
furst day
o advent




opening the curtains
first day
of advent

moose raxes
tae apen's een
the pushener taks tent




mouse struggles
to open its eyes
the poisoner looks on

alane nou
the bodach sterts
tae reek o pish




alone now
the old man
starts to smell of urine

bunnet gane tae the sterns
we haud ilk ither
wund rammishes throuch




hat gone to the stars
we hold each other
wind storms through

stieve wunter girses
naethin muivin bit the wund
bodachs' banes knackin




stiff winter grasses
nothing moving but the wind
old mens' bones cracking

peerie speuggie
frae brainch tae brainch
shooglin the tree




tiny sparrow
from branch to branch
shaking the tree