e'en in ma den
leaves fawin
...the bonsai




even in my den
leaves falling
...the bonsai

throuch the brucken paling
ma neebor -
baith o's up in years




through the broken fence
my neighbour -
both of us growing old

on the fitbaw pitch
yin hauf sea-maws
yin hauf craws




on the football field
one half seagulls
one half crows

hairst:
an umwhile bummer
chacks ilka fuchsia bell




autumn:
a late bee
checks each fuchsia bell

ambulance ilka day:
ma neebor stours'r
glooms oot an awa




daily ambulance:
my neighbour rushes her
depression out...away

brucken shanks
blawn intae a neuk
aye flourishin




broken stalks
blown into a corner
still blossoming

postie
scartin's heid -
a wesps' byke bi the sneck




postman
scratching his head -
a wasps' nest by the latch

liftin the peerie snail
broozilt its shall -
it snuves aff wi the lave




lifting the baby snail
crushed its shell -
it glides off with what's left

the nicht it taps
e'en the fleedlit castle:
the fleedlit muin




tonight it tops
even the floodlit castle:
the floodlit moon

a fest day...
is...
a...slaw...day




a fast day...
is...
a...slow...day

the cailleach rouns
the stookie on her knees -
a lassie ootpits a text




the old lady rounds
the statue on her knees -
a young girl texts

Haly Mass
aneath leaf umberellaes
speuggies




Holy Mass
beneath leaf umbrellas
sparrows

reid stour -
throuch the vinyaird
the rosary hums




red dust -
through the vineyard
the rosary drones

crippilt
he stauns fir a photy:
derns's crummock




lame
he stands for a photograph:
hides his walking stick

in the weet
pilgrimers staun
umberellaes taigilt




in the rain
pilgrims stand
umbrellas tangled

flicht hindert
cailleachs keckle:
ower lang i the howf




flight delayed
old ladies giggle:
too long in the bar

clapt tae the winnock
its glower fous the chaumer -
spinnin jenny




stuck to the window
its gaze fills the room -
daddy-long-legs

cluds rowe awa -
craw bangs up frae
a perk o yella gowans




clouds roll away -
crow rises from
a field of buttercups

on's carebed
he skews roon
hearkens tae the bell-ringers




on his sick-bed
he turns to listen
to the bell-ringers

hairst
on a lanesome roddin
a hinmaist breer




autumn
on a lonesome path
a last dog-rose

govein intae
a deep puil
fisher...makar




gazing into
a deep pool
fisherman...poet

nicht vaig -
aheid o me,
cat's een an sterns




night journey -
ahead of me,
cat's eyes and stars

roarie sooth-moothers -
yowes staun
...glower




noisy mainlanders -
sheep stand
...stare

treen 'r quate
fush kythe i the dub -
his gran-bairns awa hame




trees are quiet
fish appear in the pond -
his grand-children have gone

frae the winnock
a hairst efternuin -
ma sheddae liggs on the bed




from the window
an autumn afternoon -
my shadow lies on the bed

the bairn swithers
atween the skwurrel
an the throu-gaun train




the toddler
caught between the squirrel
and the passing train

hame frae the ferrier
dour-nebbit
cairryin a wechtie seck




home from the vet
grim-faced
carrying a heavy sack

in the baurber's keekin gless
set o ma faither's powe
aneath thinnin herr




in the barber's looking glass
shape of my father's skull
beneath thinning hair

the burthday balloon
fankilt i the gairden
ilka day mair runkilt




the birthday balloon
trapped in the garden
more wrinkled each day

doverin on a bink
her herr plashes
muinlit




asleep on a bench
her hair cascades
moonlit

amang the trees' green
straiks o yalla
...mair nor yestreen




amongst the trees' green
streaks of yellow
...more than yesterday

hairst mornin -
stame sweils up
frae the gean




autumn morning -
steam rises
from the cherry tree

a bodie's cairpet
happin the claddach
pattren still vieve




somebody's carpet
covering the riverbed
design still vivid

roukie day
on the riggin-heid
humphie-backit doos




damp day
on the roof-ridge
hunchbacked pigeons

smirr
a simmer's wirth o wabs
staun oot




drizzle
a summer's worth of webs
exposed

throuch the leaf's striffin
a singul seed
fleitin doon the watter




through the leaf's membrane
a single seed
floating downstream

wesp dowps doon
amang the haiku
turns tae yin




wasp sits down
amongst the haiku
becomes one

knell o the jogger
corsin the steel brig
deuks sperfle




boom of the jogger
crossing the steel bridge
ducks scatter

sha hauds the bairn
up tae the madonna
flooers daunce i the weet




she holds the child
up to the madonna
flowers dance in the rain

furst sabbath o hairst -
incaains fir the seek
stert tae growe




first sunday of autumn -
prayers for the sick
start to grow

a slaw day o weet
a bairge hauds by
...strenth tae waff




a slow day of rain
a barge passes
...strength to wave

the auld brig
whaur luvers pree'd:
its saft stane, concrete nou




the old bridge
where lovers kissed:
its soft stone, concrete now

eller-berries
rife fir pouin -
a rantin wunter




elder-berries
ready for picking -
a merry winter

rugby saison -
broo agin the lozen
tentie o the weet




rugby season -
forehead against the pane
watching the rain

the-day
a rairin frae the
quate treen o simmer




today
a roaring from the
silent trees of summer

yirdit the deein moose -
tentie o the mools
aw day




buried the dying mouse -
watched the grave
all day

mauks:
set
o the deid moose




bluebottles:
shape
of the dead mouse

in a dub
slawly mizzlin
cluds scud




in a puddle
slowly evaporating
clouds race

leaves fawin
in the gairden
a lane buttery veesits




leaves falling
in the garden
a lone butterfly visits

hairst redd up
ice-lollie steeks
deep i the hedge




autumn clear up
ice-lollie sticks
deep in the hedge

in the sinflooer's
derk iris
a skinklin galaxy




in the sunflower's
dark iris
a twinkling galaxy

the nicht
hoo the lift
pents itsel




tonight
how the sky
paints itself

autistic laddie
thrums's air-guitar
as guid as onie




autistic boy
strums his air-guitar
as good as any

ettlin tae jalouse
yer hit-an-miss steid -
snail




trying to figure out
your hit-and-miss trail -
snail

a lane swallae
wins ower the-day
pittin aff nae time




a lone swallow
passes over today
wasting no time

simmer dwinin
bum-bummin i the gairden
deein doun




summer fading
the humming in the garden
dying down

craw on the lamp-post
spreids's tail-fedders
a rax ma striddle




crow on the lamp-post
spreads his tail-feathers
I lengthen my stride

hinmaist week o simmer
reid rab a'ready
joukin amang us




last week of summer
the robin already
dodging among us

moch i the chaumer -
a drame o gowd stour
amang ma chist herr




moth in the bedroom -
I dream of gold dust
amongst my chest hair

brod set
wytein the veesitors
e'en the speens hearkenin




table set
awaiting the visitors
even the spoons listening

siller i the sin
snail's stravaigins
throuch the nicht




silver in the sun
snail's wanderings
through the night

glaizie pews
kneelers wurn smeeth:
releegious airt




shiny pews
kneelers worn smooth:
religious art

curdooin ower -
a train throu-gaun
intae the lown




lovemaking over -
a train passing
into the silence

leaves
colour o'r herr yince
flichterin throuch thaim




leaves
colour of her hair once
running through them

bummer stottin
sowpit lavender aw day -
cud be feelin blae




bee staggering
supped lavender all day -
could be feeling blue

a stoop o bindweed:
stertit aff
as ma crummock




a pillar of bindweed:
started off
as my walking stick

a muckle lift -
on a lum-heid
a bleckie chirms intae't




an enormous sky -
on the chimney-pot
a blackbird sings into it

in the dub
montbretia petals
bumbaizin bawdrons




in the pool
montbretia petals
confusing the cat

Dylan lilts
sin sheens throuch
the threids o a wab




Dylan sings
sun shines through
the threads of a web

hauf-tyme baund -
yin chiel sheds himsel
wi a cymbal




half-time band -
one musician shades
himself with a cymbal

frae yestreen's
thunner-plump
a singul drap hings




from last night's
thunder-storm
a single drop hangs

flee amang the murlins
laundit cannie
dichts's hauns




fly amongst the crumbs
landed lucky
rubs his hands

moch
thrabs on the lozen
ayont: the muin




moth
pulses on the pane
beyond: the moon

cauld causeys
ahint steekit hingers
sheddaes oxter




cold streets
behind closed curtains
shadows embrace

keek-o-day
tenement winnocks hystit -
glowein fags




dawn
tenement windows raised -
glowing cigarettes

watterside dauner -
sumthin's stowen a hurl
tae the kirk



riverside walk -
something's hitched a ride
to church

twa maws
tentie o the towerist
birl syne shape thirsels




two gulls
aware of the tourist
pirouette and pose

watter hauden
i the geranium's leaf -
blinnin sinlicht




water held
in the geranium's leaf -
blinding sunlight

hame frae the shows
faither drapt him aff -
weirs's han-ban fir days




home from the fair
father dropped him off -
wears his wrist-band for days

stanes at the winnock -
ma laddie's smirk
ma nakitness




stones at the window -
my son's smile
my nakedness

airlie mornin
weet
...cuddies sheenin




early morning
rain
...horses shining

cuil, smeeth, sweengin
roon stanes, rairin
ower damheids - jazz o watters




cool, smooth, swinging
round stones, roaring
over weirs - jazz of rivers

muntain kirk
the winnock's palette
on the flair




mountain chapel
the window's palette
on the floor

flee tissles i the wab -
bethankit fir a skirlin
we cannae hear




fly struggles in the web -
be thankful for a screaming
we can't hear

uptoon -
bien baudrons
gove at ma throu-gaun




uptown -
comfortable cats
stare as I pass through

colourfou butterie
spreids oot on the clint
a fause neb wi fey een




colourful butterfly
spreads out on the rock
a mask with fearsome eyes

juist the sma'st grue
moose,
nou that a ken ye




just the least shiver
mouse,
now that I know you

the gairden
fou o thrisseldoon
...airtin awa




the garden
full of thistledown
...leaving

the lily's heid
faws wi a dunt
stamens wult




the lily's head
falls with a thud
stamens wilt

in trinnle trinks
fou o weet:
oor nebs




in chariot ruts
full of rainwater:
our faces

ilka oor
the timmer gowk
cries it wrang




every hour
the cuckoo-clock
gets it wrong

ma bricht sark -
the reid-admiral's
in a mistak




my bright shirt -
the red-admiral's
made a mistake

butteries coortin
she's pawkie, he's eydent
...ower the ruiftaps




butterflies courting
she flirts, he's intent
...over the rooftops

hotel shunkie -
a singul stern
o confetti




hotel toilet -
a single star
of confetti

twa stags stieven
on the brae
...a foggies' vaige




two stags stiffen
on the hillside
...a pensioners' outing

simmer dwynin
throuch a lozen
runklie wi weet




summer fading
through a pane
wrinkled with rain

the pit-heid
pentit an flooert
the pit fowk won awa



the pit-head
painted and flowered
the pit folk dead

abuin the barracks
a fou muin
...the gaird's bayonet




above the barracks
a full moon
...the sentry's bayonet

...sodgers' sheddies
athort his
govein een




...soldiers' shadows
across his
staring eyes

killin hoose quate nou -
day-set reiddens
the causies




abattoir silent now -
sunset reddens
the cobbles