fir a spleet saicont -
maw an butterie
on the samen loopin peth




for a split second -
gull and butterfly
on the same winding path

sae drearifu -
wesps deein
in a dub o hinny




so sad -
wasps dying
in a puddle of honey

in the yin licht -
her apen ha-bible
his tuim beer bottle




in the one light -
her open bible
his empty beer bottle

maws heave up
intae the licht
lavein thair sheddaes




gulls lift off
into the light
leaving their shadows

licht blinters
on a far awa burn -
deuk landin




light flickers
on a distant stream -
duck landing

sin throuch the brainches -
calligraphy:
tree on watter




sun through the branches -
calligraphy:
tree on water

twa 'road-ragers'
gang gyte -
the caird dovers awa




two 'road-ragers'
rage -
the tramp sleeps on

foondert on the causey
she goves up at nebs -
sirens yowlin




collapsed on the street
she stares up at faces -
sirens wailing

juist whan the buss
leuks duin - a yalla rose
apens i the sin




just when the bush
looks finished - a yellow rose
opens in the sun

athort the leaves
a twa-heidit sheddae -
skwurrel reivin the orchard




across the leaves
a two-headed shadow -
squirrel raiding the orchard

the jimpest blue bonnet -
bawdrons' een glent
...green




the daintiest blue tit -
cat's eys flash
...green

threids on ma neb -
reengin fir'm
a ken am snaggit in's wab




threads on my face -
searching for him
I know i'm caught in his web

faw'n petal -
brichtens
a dreich deuk




fallen petal -
brightens
a dull duck

on a brainch
narrest the sin
an aipple sterts tae reidden




on a branch
nearest the sun
an apple starts to redden

the day brichtens
a sinflooer keeks oot
frae ahint a hollyhock




the day brightens
a sunflower peeps out
from behind a hollyhock

lown chattert -
a snail unnerfuit
i the lang girse




silence shattered -
a snail underfoot
in the long grass

crematorium -
bonnie reid roses
...lowes slaikin




crematorium -
beautiful red roses
...flames licking

heich thrissels -
throuch thair leaves
cloots o blae lift




tall thistles -
through their leaves
rags of blue sky

on the peth
a bricht reid berry -
brocht here




on the path
a bright red berry -
brought here

a leaf
fawin dowlessly - scuffin
the ithers short an lang




a leaf
falling helplessly -
touching the others briefly

festival toon -
he sweers at the motorist,
an waffs's baguette




festival city -
he curses the motorist,
and waves his baguette

scartit
on the cell door:
a jibbet...a boatie




scratched
on the cell door:
a scaffold...a ship

agin the fite cluds -
a swalla
anchorin ma thochts




against the white clouds -
a swallow
anchoring my thoughts


(after Ian Hamilton findlay: concrete poet)

unner the brig
a brucken bottle
spreedin the licht




under the bridge
a broken bottle
spreading the light

a brek i the cluds -
a rousty bike
wabbles i the burn




a break in the clouds -
a rusty bicycle
wobbles in the stream

oot frae the sheddaes
a sheddae raxes
...craw




out from the shadows
a shadow stretches
...crow

doon the rod
echt-wheelers thunnerin -
an lady landers daunerin




down the highway
eight-wheelers thundering -
and ladybird walking

dugs stour
throuch the sned girse -
a green haar




dogs race
through the cut grass -
a green mist

rivin's wheel-chair -
a peth throuch
breers an snorlie ruits




forcing his wheel-chair -
a path through
thorns and twisted roots

ahint steekit hingers -
the new weedower
blethers tae's guidwife




behind closed curtains -
the new widower
talks to his wife

bi the jile wa -
brummle breers
skailin bluid




by the prison wall -
bramble thorns
spilling blood

efter incaains
geeglin frae the sheddaes -
nuns on retreat




after prayers
giggling from the shadows -
nuns on retreat

bi the embassy
a chiel murmellin -
sheddae-baurs athort's neb




by the embassy
a protestor -
shadow-bars across his face

on toon lums
maws hunkerin -
thair sangs o the sey




on city chimneys
gulls sitting -
their songs of the sea

ootby the monastery -
the preachin
o the auncient aik




outside the monastery -
the sermon
of the ancient oak

'jazz on a simmer's day' -
a skep fou o flooers
fou o bummers




'jazz on a summer's day' -
a basket full of flowers
full of bees

oot frae a lift
o bleck an fite cluds -
craws an maws




out from a sky
of black and white clouds -
crows and gulls

thrissel's purpie toorie -
bummer's wecht
cowps it croosly




thistle's purple bonnet -
bee's weight
tips it jauntily

scuil hoalidays -
in the playgrun
the widden dug's weet een




school holidays -
in the playground
the wooden dog's wet eyes

taigilt in refleckshuns
the pheelosopher
goves intae the dub




tangled in reflections
the philosopher
gazes into the pond

deuk scarts'r heid
wi an orange fuit -
easement on sic a gray day




duck scratches her head
with an orange foot -
relief on such a grey day

fleedin quallt -
a clint heaves frae the burn
dichtit claen




flooding abated -
a rock rises from the stream
washed clean

smoorichin the het stane -
a lane rose
deein o drouth




hugging the hot stone -
a lone rose
dying of thirst

threy speuggies scash
on a roobrub blade -
druckenly




three sparrows squabble
on a rhubarb leaf -
drunkenly

'anither deid sodger'
...the brawest thrisseldoon
panders awa




'another dead soldier'
...the finest thistledown
drifts away

inveesabil midgies -
waggitie's
mid-err ballet




invisible midges -
wagtail's
mid-air ballet

bawdrons
aulder ilka day - his bell
narer the plainstanes




the cat
older every day - his bell
nearer the pavement

the breer's fume
sneddin throuch
the diesel reek




the wild-rose's fragrance
cutting through
the diesel fumes

day daws
derkness sperfles -
leain the craws ahint




day dawns
darkness disperses -
leaving the crows behind

twa bleck dugs rin an daff -
thair reid tungs,
thair fite banes




two black dogs run and play -
their red tongues,
their white bones

simmer mornin -
tae glisk sic blitheness
wammlin throuch a cuddy




summer morning -
to see such joy
wriggling through a horse