twa swans
thair nest tuim
soom anent the deuklins




two swans
their nest empty
swim alongside the ducklings

in the scrappie's yaird
a'whaur
bonnie growthe




in the breaker's yard
everywhere
beautiful weeds

craw an maw -
scashin ower
the hinmaist lum can




crow and gull -
squabbling over
the last chimney pot

soon
o the chingle strand's
souchin




sound
of the shingle shore's
breathing

in the barber's
a jaur o smeeth stanes
flair kivvert wi herr




in the barber-shop
a jar of smooth stones
floor covered with hair

the foggies
tissle tae skair
a peerie umberellae




the old couple
struggle to share
a tiny umbrella

simmer -
ilka leaf thristin
oot intae space




summer -
each leaf thrusting
out into space

bleezin azalea
...priest in's
pentacostal simmit




fiery azalea
...priest in his
pentacostal vestments

airport shunkie
unalikenesses mouten
pishin in a raw




airport toilet
differences dissolve
peeing in a line

a deuk sooms by -
hankilt boats
heave an faw




a duck swims by -
tied up boats
rise and fall

bleckie's chirmin
fous the air -
e'en craw taks tent




blackbird's singing
fills the air -
even crow listens

waff o wull lickerie -
the bairn in me
wints sweeties




smell of wild liquorice -
the child in me
wants sweets

fawin intae the scug
o the speengie rose -
the speengie's petals




falling into the shade
of the peony -
the peony's petals

hern swallaes
the wammlin moose -
the lang craig runklin




heron swallows
the wriggling mouse -
the long neck wrinkling

a tirl
frae whae kens whaur
apenin ma chaumer door




a breeze
from who knows where
opening my bedroom door

soun o a linn
...wund throuch
the green sauchs




sound of a waterfall
...wind through
the green willows

in ablow pink cluds
bleckie chirms the day
intae derkness




under pink clouds
blackbird sings the day
into darkness

sweltrie day -
bummer chaaves
in's fur cot




hot day -
bumble-bee struggles
in his fur coat

i the wund
a peerie buttery
faws...turns intae a leaf




in the wind
a tiny butterfly
falls...turns into a leaf

smatters o clud
maws heelstergowdie
i the wund




scraps of cloud
gulls tumbling
in the wind

thigger wifie -
her sheddae
skiffs me




beggar woman -
her shadow
touches me

weet -
azalea tassies
reamin ower




rain -
azalea cups
overflowing

craw shaks an shaks
its marrow's stieve bouk
...fite sichtless een




crow shakes and shakes
its mate's stiff body
...white sightless eyes

speuggie hunkert
keeks throuch the flourish
...laburnum rainglets




sparrow sitting
peeps through the blossom
...laburnum ringlets

throuch a perk
o pish-the-beds -
the wund's gate




through a field
of dandelion clocks -
the wind's route

swans doverin
magnolia petals
on the girse




swans asleep
magnolia petals
on the lawn

speengie rose uncleikin
its reidness
...stoundin heart




peony unclenching
its redness
...beating heart

cumulus cluds
...swans
pander by




cumulus clouds
...swans
drift by

scuil's voar ferr
ingaun clinks
slooshin intae the mullie




school's spring fair
entrance fee
splashing into the tin

the bodach
tentie o the rackets -
sterns in's een




the old man
watching the fireworks -
stars in his eyes

slaw burn -
cluds grundit
i the shallas




slow stream -
clouds beached
in the shallows

craw heaves up
frae the dub
...cheen o glentin draplets




crow rises
from the puddle
...chain of sparkling droplets

throuch freestit gless
flams lowp
...reid azalea




through frosted glass
flames leap
...red azalea

on the plainstanes
a doo's egg - washt oot,
claen as a new muin




on the pavement
a pigeon's egg - washed out,
clean as a new moon

the mull's
lanely watter-wheel -
the drouthie burn




the mill's
lonely water-wheel -
the dried-up stream

gean tree
...anely yestreen
flourish freithin ower




cherry tree
...only yesterday
blossom frothing over

keelies stane the deuks -
in the shallas
watter sclims hern's trams




vandals stone the ducks -
in the shallows
water climbs heron's legs

aneath
the sin's glister
the derk burn




beneath
the sun's glitter
the dark stream

threy deuks
anely threy deuks
runklin the hail burn




three ducks
only three ducks
wrinkling the whole stream

chynge i the wedder
burd-bath
slawly fouin




change in the weather
bird-bath
slowly filling

hinmaist licht
on the brae
rap flourish




last light
on the hillside
rape blossom

at Jesus' feet
a vause o roses
...yin petal hings on a breer




at Jesus' feet
a vase of roses
...one petal hangs on a thorn

auncient aiks
a baiten peth
...breidth o a deuk




ancient oaks
a beaten path
...width of a duck

rin-ower craw
bleck weengs
streekin oot o sicht




run-over crow
black wings
stretching out of sight

atween clematis leaves
the crottilt warl
o the lameter wifie




between clematis leaves
the fragmented world
of the crippled lady

sin muves athort
snaggit in a moose wab
a sheddae




sun moves across
caught in a spider's web
a shadow

birlin
gliffin oot a leam -
coke-tinnie on the burn




turning
flashing out a beam -
coke-can on the stream

sin progs
doon throuch the leaves -
the pyotie burn rins




sun pierces
down through the leaves -
the piebald stream runs

fernyear's leaf
thrawin a sheddae
o kittlie tracery




last year's leaf
casting a shadow
of delicate tracery

in siccan
unchancy warl -
speuggie's spurtle-legs




in such
a dangerous world -
sparrow's thin legs

lown watter
fleitin
frae clud tae clud




peaceful stream
streaming
from cloud to cloud

scufflin:
the cailleach's knockles
...bowders fiten i the burn




hoeing:
the old lady's knuckles
...rocks whiten in the stream

mey day
anarchists daunce -
sin on polis steeks




may day
anarchists dance -
sun on police batons