auld scuil photy

...pirls

on the burn

old school photograph

...ripples

on the stream

frae yin warl

tae anither

troot lowp, flees dee

from one world

to another

trout leap, flies die

a bleckie draps by

his neb fou o wirms  

suin tae becum bleckies

a blackbird drops by

his beak full of worms

soon to become blackbirds

wunter i the perk  -

fir the hameless chiel

Reid Rab's breist bleezes

winter in the park  -

for the homeless man

the robin's breast blazes

haundicappit bairns' day oot  -

balloons a'whaur

...brustin herts

handicapped chidrens' day out  -

balloons everywhere

..bursting hearts

staunin gaird on yin leg

her sheddae haps'r chick  -

mither maw

standing guard on one leg

her shadow blankets her chick  -

mother gull

speengie roses

thair pom pom heids

...rah rah lassies

peonie roses

their pom pom heads

...cheerleaders

on the plainstanes  -

strawn fag-ens,

strawn brods

on the pavement  -

scattered cigarette-ends,

scattered nails

the bodach's no weel  -

gowan an yalla gowan

gaither in's gairden

the old man is unwell  -

daisies and buttercups

gather in his garden

unner the auld tree

she dovers...waukens...dovers

...fawin chirries

under the old tree

she dozes...wakens...dozes

...falling cherries

mercat day  -

the eydent eemigrant

in borraed buits

market day  -

the hard-working immigrant

in borrowed  boots

still life  -

roses hae taen ower

the cairver's yaird

still life  -

roses have taken over

the sculptors yard

clare licht

throuch the stainit gless

...oor holographic  lives

clear light 

through the stained glass

...our holographic lives

modren jazz

on the piazza

...crans' doitit flichts

modern jazz

on the piazza

...swifts' crazy flights

tentie o'r taes

daffin amang thirsels

aw throuch Mass

watching her toes

playing amongst themselves

all through Mass

unner a crescent muin...

croissants

fir twa

under a crescent moon...

croissants

for two

meyflees  -

troot rejyce

an lowp throuch hoops

mayflies  -

trout rejoice

and leap through hoops

the bodach  -

his white baird, his skatebrod

his smeddum!

the old man  -

his white beard, his skateboard

his courage!

 nestin on ma lum

a maw

fite as reek

nesting on my chimney

a gull

white as smoke

pasturin agane  -

the lown leid

o coo-bells

pasturing again  -

the peaceful language

of  cow-bells

nivver shair:

is't freest

or faw'n gean flourish?

never sure:

is it frost

or fallen cherry blossom?

hameless

hapt in's ain airms

...loo'd in's dwam

homeless

wrapped in his own arms

...loved in his dream

bleezin sin  -

93 mullion mile awa

pish-the-beds ruisin

blazing sun  -

93 million miles away

dandelions praising

Tour De France  

stramash 

...sinbrust o spokes

Tour De France  

crash 

... sunburst of spokes

the maukie

prees ma haun  -

auld mait, he flees aff

the bluebottle

tastes my hand  -

old meat, he flies off

auld pit fou'd in

a meedie nou  -  a bummer

hings tapsalteerie, trauchlin

old mine filled in

a meadow now  -  a bee hangs

upside down, toiling

burd it the winnock  -

granny'd

thraw'r hauns aw nicht

bird at the window  -

grandmother

would wring her hands all night

Guid Friday  -

bygaun the steadin

...hemmert brods

Good Friday  -

passing the building site

...hammered nails

a rugby baw 

fleets on the burn  -

deuks wunner it the muckle egg

a rugby ball

floats on the stream  -

ducks wonder at the huge egg

efter the drouth

flooers noddin druckenly

as ah gang by

after the drought

flowers nodding drunkenly

as I pass by

aumond flourish

oosie cluds

aumond flourish...

almond blossom

furry clouds

almond blossom...

sinlicht muives cannily

alang a wab threid

...shoogly tichtrope

sunlight moves carefully

along a web thread

...shaky tightrope

i the gairden

tentie o life streetchin

intae its simmer claes

in the garden

watching life stretching

into its summer  clothes

Madonna stookie

bi the burd-bath  -

aw the burds boo doon

Madonna statue

by the bird-bath  -

all the birds bow down

happin the haugh

wull garlic

...voar confetti

covering the riverbank

wild garlic

...spring confetti

efter his faw

anither blae medal

on granfaither's chist

after his fall

another blue medal

on grandfather's chest

sinblinks throuch the kirk winnock  -

incense reek hurls on thain

aye upwarts

sunbeams through the church window  -

incense smoke rides them

ever upwards

the luve

o the blin dug

caws me doon

the love

of the blind dog

bowls me over

a jeelin wund an sin

fechtin it oot  -

wunter juist wullnae gae doon

an icy wind and sun

slugging it out  -

winter just will not go down

maggie

taks aff frae the gairden

weirin a bussie mouser

magpie

takes off from the garden

wearing a bushy moustache

ilka day

tae the samen flooer  -

is't the samen bummer?

every day

to the same flower  -

is it the same bee?

the bodach

stops tae read the graffiti

...dernin's waant o a rist

the old man

stops to read the graffiti

...hiding his need to rest

abuin the nursery

craw hunkers

...bydin fir the nirls

above the nursery

crow sits

...waiting for the crumbs

granny growes an crines,

growes an crines

...babbie's new sweeng

granny grows and shrinks,

grows and shrinks

...baby's new swing

his moothie

liggs in'ts box  -

fir waant o braith

his harmonica

lies in its box  -

for want of breath

aw day

the yin bummer

trevellin the hinny rod

all day

the one bee

travelling the honey road

ma banjoist freen,

his banjo oot o tuin

...dementia

my banjoist friend,

his banjo out of tune

...dementia

this mornin

the birk tree's

a siller plash

this morning

the birch tree

is a silver splash

i the press

fernyear's bulbs sproot  -  

kennin it's voar afore ah dae

in the cupboard

last year's bulbs sprout  -  

knowing its spring before I do

sic douceness  -

the lily's

braith

such sweetness  -

the lily's

breath

sinlicht sprauchles

on the cairpet

wabbit frae sica vaig

sunlight sprawls

on the carpet

weary from such a journey

this mornin

the lily apened

...dumfoonert

this morning

the lily opened

...astonished

 bannock tuesday  -

the mill's bummer trombones

...anither Mardi Gras

pancake tuesday  -

the factory's horn trombones

...another Mardi Gras

blae bonnets on brainches

frae tap tae boddom

...cheetlin scale

blue tits on branches

from top to bottom

...twittering scale

bodach  

cairryin's feesic hame

...hert in a poke

old man

carrying his medicine home

...heart in a  bag

a dander i the perk  -

taigilt in dug-luve

it ilka step

a walk in the park  -

tangled in dog-love

at every step

his bombed hame  -

the anely licht is sinlicht

sypin throuch bullet-holes

his bombed home  -

the only light is sunlight

seeping through bullet-holes

tree fellers muive in   -

hameless craws

girnin

tree fellers move in  -

homeless crows

grumbling

bygaun the nursery

kittlie yatterin

...dernit burds

passing the nursery

excited chattering

...hidden birds

peerie crocus  -

blate

amang the daffins

tiny crocus  -

shy

amongst the daffodils

mr an mrs saw neb

soomin fit fir fit

on this Valentine's day

mr and mrs goosander

swimming side by side

on this Valentine's day

 gloamin -

alang the watterside

snawdrap bouets hing

twilight  -

along the riverside

snowdrop lanterns hang

maggies i the gairden

hop an daff

...chess cums tae mynd

magpies in the garden

hop and play

...chess comes to mind

tooer lowe  -

the tuim shall

stauns, a lairstane

tower fire  -

the empty shell

stands, a gravestone

a tinglin frae the wuids  -

whaur the burn rins

an blaebells growe

a tinkling from the woods  -

where the stream runs

and bluebells grow

kirk flair

fou o crecks

...whaur the yirth muived

church floor

full of cracks

...where the earth moved

a petal faws

ontae the jotter

...scriever's jam ower

a petal falls

onto the notebook

...writer's block over

...

a quate queir

aboot tae croon

...daffins apenin

a silent choir

about to sing

...daffodils opening

rottan an craw

teug o weirin

wi a deid chookie

rat and crow

tug of warring

with a dead chicken

Burn's nicht  -

haggis an neeps

tatties an shoogly legs

Burn's night  -

haggis and turnips

potatoes and wobbly legs

blowster Eowyn

agin the winnock

...a hird's huifs

storm Eowyn  

against the window

...a herd's hooves

( Eowyn  -  horse lover)

freest agane  -

i the ghaistly gairden

girss stauns on en

frost again  -

in the ghostly garden

grass stands on end

hame wi'r new hurkle-bane  

he sneds a slae brainch  -

a limb tae mak'r stieve

home with her new hip-bone  

he cuts a blackthorn branch  -

a limb to steady her

doverin,

heid on a concrete pillae

...hameless bunnle

asleep,

head on a concrete pillow

...homeless bundle

on freestit girss

heroin needles

an spuins

on frosted grass

heroin needles

and spoons

hivvie snaw

driftin

swans

heavy snow

drifting

swans

frost  -

the plainstanes glentin

a bodach chitterin

frost  -

the pavement sparkling

an old man shivering

freesty mornin  -

the hern fushin

the bodach's dreepin neb

frosty morning  -

the heron fishing

the old man's dripping nose