weet blatters on thaim:
twa craws
staunin in inky dubs




rain beats on them:
two crows
standing in inky puddles

furst day o simmer time -
the playgrun chute
...a siller watterfaw




first day of summer time -
the playground slide
...a silver waterfall

silhouette airtist
sneckin aroon sheddaes
...fou muin




silhouette artist
snipping around shadows
...full moon

fawin flichans -
far awa swans
driftin




falling snowflakes -
distant swans
drifting

wundy agane -
craw hystes
a raggity weeng




windy again -
crow raises
a ragged wing

bawdrons skooks -
derk weengs
in's een




cat skulks -
dark wings
in his eyes

sica stramash
frae the nursery playgrun:
speuggies




such an uproar
from the nursery playground:
sparrows

thrang speug:
a lang threid o girse
tae wyve aroon'r




busy sparrow:
a long thread of grass
to weave around her

brainch sheddaes
jeegsawin the plainstanes -
bairns lowp amang thaim




branch shadows
jigsawing the pavement -
children hop among them

the cailleach
an the burn
...at thair ain slaw raik




the old lady
and the stream
...at their own slow pace

'incident trappin' dirls -
wund sclices throuch
the vennel...lik a gullie




'incident tape' rattles -
wind slices through
the alley...like a knife

a vause o tulips
oot-yallain the sin -
snod in ma chaumer




a vase of tulips
out-yellowing the sun -
snug in my den

furst gorblins -
voar juist gat
roarier




first fledglings -
spring just got
noisier

Guid Friday -
hailstanes scartin,
teirin the flesh




Good Friday -
hailstones sctratching,
tearing the flesh

cadger an's dug -
his dowie sang
follaes me hame




beggar and his dog -
his sad song
follows me home

fou muin -
maundy siller
fir awbodie




full moon -
maundy silver
for everyone


(Maundy Thursday)

shakkin wi lauchter:
the nuns
...the daffins




shaking with laughter:
the nuns
...the daffodils

yill bottle taps skailt -
he hunkers
refleckin on the galaxy




beer bottle tops scattered -
he sits
musing on the galaxy

simmer shows -
the attercap biggs
his hoose o dreid




summer fairground -
the spider builds
his house of horror

muinlicht -
a fite bawdrons slidderin
doon the gairden stairs




moonlight -
a white cat slithering
down the garden steps

furst gean flourish -
brainches reak
intae snaw cluds




first cherry blossom -
branches reach
into snow clouds

atween twa jags:
the brummle's flourish
makkin'ts wey




between two thorns:
the bramble's blossom
making its way



(Holy Week)

thrang bleckies
flee athort the sin -
thair fuskert sheddaes




busy blackbirds
fly across the sun -
their whiskered shadows

hingin sparks
tremmle i the tirl -
farawa kirk bells




hanging raindrops
tremble in the breeze -
distant church bells

throuch the olive plantin:
pyne
o shot joints




through the olive grove:
pain
of arthritic joints

smirr,
haar -
the muin dreeps



drizzle,
mist -
the moon drips

ma auld neebor
flittin:
offers a perr o buits




my old neighbour
moving house:
offers a pair of boots

midnicht weet -
on toon plainstanes
colours rin




midnight rain -
on city pavements
colours run

blue bonnet's sang -
pen an jotter
pit by




blue tit's song -
pen and notebook
put away

deid makar -
agin the wa
his hey-sned...roostit




dead poet -
against the wall
his scythe...rusted


(for Hugh MacDiarmid)

airlie mornin clockin -
nuns
gaitherin eggs




early morning clucking -
nuns
gathering eggs

gairden
fou o a sea's rair -
the craw's nest sweys




garden
full of a sea's roar -
the crow's nest sways

stourin tae scuil -
thair fuitprents
left i the glaur




racing to school -
their footprints
left in the mud

draigon- fleein -
he hauds's laddie's haun
tichtly




kite-flying -
he holds his son's hand
tightly

oot frae the
leamin forsythia
reid rab...bricht sperk




out from the
glowing forsythia
a robin...bright spark

day-daw -
abuin the nest's lip
bleckie's gowden neb




dawn -
above the nest's edge
blackbird's golden beak

daffins govein
intae the burn -
teepical narcissi




daffodils gazing
into the stream -
typical narcissi

day efter the gemme -
the altar-laddie's
bleck ee




day after the game -
the altar-boy's
black eye

bleck plastic poke
fluthers on the pikit weer -
craw threips tae't




black plastic bag
flutters on the barbed wire -
crow talks to it

mairch wunds -
chirms, o peerie burds
blawn bogshaivelt




march winds -
chirps, of tiny birds
blown shapeless

maggie no shair:
tae hunker wi the maws
or the craws




magpie not sure:
to sit with the gulls
or the crows

blawin on the braeside
siller birks
...skime o swurds




blowing on the hillside
silver birches
...flash of swords

throuch the perk
coortin kipples -
daffins' heids heeld an tig




through the park
young lovers -
daffodils' heads lean and touch

poussin its new buds
throuch the razzor-weer -
forsythia




pushing its new buds
through the razor-wire -
forsythia

crcuses -
haudin thair bickers
up tae the sin




crocuses -
holding their cups
up to the sun

swan
risin
a fite fan apens




swan
approaching
a white fan opens

leain hame -
e'en his sheddae gaes
intae the flittin van




leaving home -
even his shadow goes
into the removal van

mither's day -
in a derk vennel
she slerps'r gin




mother's day -
in a dark alley
she slurps her gin

in the voar sin -
a signscriever
onlayin gowden straiks




in the spring sun -
a signwriter
laying on golden strokes