Sunday, December 31, 2006

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)

Friday, December 29, 2006

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

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

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

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

boxin day
buckets skailin:
craws' Yule




boxing day
dustbins overflowing:
crows' Christmas

Sunday, December 24, 2006

hinmaist day o advent
oot frae the haar
sumthin takkin shape




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

Saturday, December 23, 2006

burn in spate
a fairmer corses
on unvisible stanes




flooded river
a farmer crosses
on invisible stones
alane
at the bus-stap
a tuim yill bottle




alone
at the bus-stop
an empty beer bottle

Friday, December 22, 2006

Yule
throuch scuddit brainches
blue bonnets blinter




Christmas
through naked branches
blue tits flicker

Thursday, December 21, 2006

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

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Yule bells -
myndin a deid fere
...hingin




Christmas bells -
remembering a dead friend
...hanging

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

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

Monday, December 18, 2006

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

Sunday, December 17, 2006

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




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

Saturday, December 16, 2006

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

Friday, December 15, 2006

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

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

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

Monday, December 11, 2006

throuch the hailstanes
hollin berries
lichtin a peth




through the hail
holly berries
lighting a path

Saturday, December 09, 2006

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

Friday, December 08, 2006

burnside clartit
ablow the damheid
craw taks a shour




riverside littered
below the weir
crow takes a shower

Thursday, December 07, 2006

December
meysies' peerie nebs
...yit




December
primroses' small faces
...still

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

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

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

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

Monday, December 04, 2006

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

Sunday, December 03, 2006

apenin the hingers
furst day
o advent




opening the curtains
first day
of advent

Saturday, December 02, 2006

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