voar drames
in yalla:
daffins




spring dreams
in yellow:
daffodils

mey brides
wi thair bobs
...gean treen




may brides
with their bouquets
...cherry trees

a vause
o wullflooers
lichtenin the kirk



a vase
of wildflowers
brightening the church

burds gaitherin
ryss an strae  -
athort perks a babbie greits




birds gathering
twig and straw  -
across fields a baby cries

hern grippit
i the wample
o the minnons




heron rapt
in the wriggle
of the minnows

a guiss fedder
scrievin
on the wund




a goose feather
writing
on the wind

govein up it
the blue-bonnet
moose shoort wi shalls




gazing up at
the blue tit
mouse showered with shells

it the shrine a moose  -

aiblins incaain

...whae kens

at the shrine a mouse  -

perhaps praying

...who knows

keek o day
whin
on the brae




sunrise
gorse
on the hill

suddent
the pish-the-bed batch...
thair stobbie herrcuts




suddenly
the dandelion gang...
their spiky haircuts

the licht's
on agane
i the magnolia




the light's
on again
in the magnolia

the cailleach chitters  -
i the ingle
an attercap's wab




the old lady shivers  -
in the hearth
a spider's web

in a clair puil
bebbles hove up
frae sumhin unsein




in a clear pool
bubbles rise
from something unseen

cancer, canker  -
gye sib
the bodach an's aipple tree




cancer, canker  -
very alike
the old man and his apple tree

fou muin  -
a'm stertilt
bi ma sheddae




full moon  -
i'm startled
by my shadow

in perfit quate
a singul daffin
lichtens the day




in utter silence
a single daffodil
brightens the day

fou muin --
daffins
skew thair heids





full moon  -
daffodils
turn their heads

the jylt banker's hoose  -
i the winnock
a bairn's abacus




the jailed banker's house  -
in the window
a child's abacus

throuch stainit gless
the sin  -
worshipers o ilka colour




through stained glass
the sun  -
worshipers of every colour

weedower  -
in's waddin reeng
Pace caunles blinter




widower  -
in his wedding ring
Easter candles flicker

yin haun he quat
in Helmand  -  wi the
ither he gaithers dowts




one hand he left
in Helmand  -  with the
other he gathers fag-ends

hurkle-bane surgery  -
on the wa
Degas' ballerinas




hip replacement surgery  -
on the wall
Degas' ballerinas

Swan Lake  -
she snuves athort
the widden watter




Swan Lake  -
she glides across
the wooden water

i the gairden
faither an bleckie
colloguin




in the garden
father and blackbird
talking

dumpin's baw

heich the err

...day o an eclipse

kicking his ball

high in the air

...day of an eclipse

voar mornin  -
twa gowden retrievers
stoor towarts the sin




spring morning  -
two golden retrievers
race towards the sun

daffins
bress baund  -
voar concert




daffodils
brass band  -
spring concert

ilka year aye
sterts wi a riddie  -
gean flourish




every year still
starts with a blush  -
cherry blossom

auld kipple
skin an bane
...hoose o attercaps




old couple
skin and bone
...house of spiders

we aw win awa
frae the lairside  -
aw bit a hingin gled




we all leave
the graveside  -
all but a hanging hawk

tuim gardevine  -

i the snawdraps the broozilt

ootline o luvers

empty wine-bottle  -

in the snowdrops the crushed

outline of lovers

herrcut  -
a laddie
hauds forrit




haircut  -
a boy
steps forth

babbie apens an ee
a glisk a lift
whaur twa doos flee




baby opens an eye
I see a sky
where two pigeons fly

fou muin  -
a hameless chiel's ashet
slaikit clean




full moon  -
a homeless man's plate
licked clean

wund throuch
the refugee camp  -
orchestrae o banes




wind through
the refugee camp  -
orchestra of bones

fooneral Mass -
in the bicker
a deid flee




funeral Mass -
in the chalice
a dead fly

blue bonnets
yammer an taisle  -
time tae hing the nest-box




blue tits
chatter an tease  -
time to hang the nest-box

the pipies
new bairn  -
reid plufft chafts




the piper's
new baby  -
red puffed cheeks

mageecian bairn
apens a fan o deuks
at'r feet




magician child
opens a fan of ducks
at her feet

fou o tears

the ingan

an me

full of tears

the onion

and I

voar sinsheen

the maple's brainches skimmer  -

auld banes wairmin

spring sunshine

the maple's branches glitter  -

old bones warming

her peerie mappie

sclims the wa  -

babbie's fingers i the sin

her little rabbit

climbs the wall  -

baby's fingers in the sun

sin-worshippers'
weir-daunce
...midges




sun-worshippers'
war-dance
...midges

furrin lassie
her suddron puir...
lip-reengs,tung-studs




foreign girl
her english poor...
lip-rings,tongue-studs

throuch the kirkyaird's
wutherins
a reid spat o life...rab




through the churchyard's
witherings
a red spot of life...robin

fykie bairn
ye hae nivver seen
hungert een
or bouks licht as licht




fussy child
you've never seen
hungry eyes
or bodies light as light

the cailleach's
poke o crottles pluffs
intae a stramash o maws




the old lady's
bag of crumbs explodes
into a chaos of gulls

butterie
yin flutherin
page...




butterfly
one fluttering
page...

fir aw oor genocide
life aye forgies us
...snawdraps




for all our genocide
life still forgives us
...snowdrops

auschwitz day  -
caunles...
puils o tallie




auschwitz day  -
candles...
pools of tallow

piece time  -
amang the dorbie's graith
Reid Rab




lunch time  -
amongst the mason's tools
a robin

hern yirthin
untaiglin frae the
parrychute o's sel




heron landing
untangling from the
parachute of himsel

 i the lairside vause
anely
flooers o freest




in the graveside vase
only
flowers of frost

fower rinners
stour fir the line
...attercap's  trams threshin




four runners
race for the line
...spider's legs thrashing

muin i the winnock  -
the bairn groozles
balancin't on'r tae




moon in the window  -
the baby gurgles
balancing it on her toe

on the fitpad
a gowdfush  -
gawpin at it aw




on the footpath
a goldfish  -
open-mouthed at it all

haingles blues   -
stertin tae laith
the cuckoo-clock




flu blues  -
starting to hate
the cuckoo-clock

boxing day  -
a disjaskit teddy-bear
quat on a perk bink



boxing day  -
a forlorn teddy-bear
left on a park bench

Yule gifts
in a bing  -
he daffs wi the happins




Christmas gifts
piled high  -
he plays with the wrappings

abuin
the suicide's hoose
a skirlin maw




above
the suicide's house
a keening gull

cosmos  -
fush-een
in a derk dub




cosmos  -
fish-eyes
in a dark pool

on the buss
threy roses
...fegs! yin's a reid rab




on the bush
three roses
...oops! one's a robin

en o term  -
abuin the schuil
geese winnin awa




end of term  -
above the school
geese leaving

parteecularities
o the burn  -
jazz tae himenal




vagaries
of the stream  -
jazz to hymnal

Advent  -
geelt sparks hing,
daw's lowe
weirs amang thaim




Advent  -
frozen raindrops hang,
dawn's flame
passes amongst them

hame frae the kirk  -
the muin's flittit
twa causeys awa




home from church  -
the moon's moved
two streets away

abuin the wa
a topper snuves  -
the cortege wins awa




above the wall
a tile hat glides  -
the cortege sets off

byler bylin  -
the bairn skirls
at arabesques o steam




kettle boiling  -
the child squeals
at arabesques of steam

a singul straik  -
hern raxin
frae yirth tae lift




a single stroke  -
heron stretching
from earth to sky

twa staps
in'r zimmer
...yince queen o the jive




two steps
in her zimmer
...once queen of the jive

sheddaes:
calligraphy o cheer-legs
throuch's preachin




shadows:
calligraphy of chair-legs
during his sermon

pairtin
wi ghaists agane
the blues




sharing
with ghosts again
the blues

burn in spate  -
rodden berries
dichtit




flooded stream  -
rowan berries
washed clean

addict  -
cuddlin the rose
bleedin frae the breer




addict  -
hugging the rose
bleeding from the thorn

turnt tae the muin  -
her bricht
smirkin neb




turned to the moon  -
her bright
smiling face

her auld dug's deid  -
ilka day
she straivaigs its ghaist




her old dog is dead  -
every day
she walks its ghost

aw saints' day  -
a witchie's bunnet
rowes alang the causey




all saints' day  -
a witch's hat
rolls along the street

maple tree
leafless  -
derk arteries




maple tree
leafless  -
dark arteries

tea wi the abbot  -
straeberry jeely
on's chin




tea with the abbot  -
strawberry jam
on his chin

a bing
o nebless
pumpkins




a pile
of expressionless
pumpkins

peerie lass
waffs an waffs  -
soothboond geese




little girl
waves and waves  -
southbound geese

late-nicht drouthie
fleetchin
it's latch




late-night drunk
begging
at his keyhole

sclammerin
ower the palin
nasturtiums...leavin




clambering
over the fence
nasturtiums...leaving

regatta
swans
chorein the geggie




regatta
swans
stealing the show

tinkie wife cadgin -
her bairn
tentie o ilka muive




gypsy begging -
her child
absorbing every nuance

seelant pictur -
the pianny player's
sair fingers




silent movie -
the pianist's
aching fingers

throuch fawin leaves
a lang-tint neb
assemmles




through falling leaves
a long-lost face
assembles

chess in the perk -
a corbie
hunkers tentie




chess in the park -
a rook
sits watching

maple leaves -
the tips
kinnlin




maple leaves -
the tips
kindling

auld sodger stravaigs
...his bleck backpack
o sheddaes




old soldier wanders
...his black backpack
of shadows

blate bairn
nieves steekit in een -
kens whaur she's sauf




shy child
fists bunched in eyes -
knows where she's safe

a hinmaist flee
deein
wi the simmer




a last fly
dying
with the summer

the dool
o the 'tint an fund'
bink




the sadness
of the 'lost and found'
shelf

scuil fecht -
snowkin bluid frae'm
neist day




school fight -
smelling blood from him
next day

wab  -
freestit
rose winnock




web  -
frosted
rose window

referendum eve -
hairst leaves
hing bi a threid




referendum eve -
autumn leaves
hang by a thread

foster bairn -
fauldit in's pooch
mither's hinmaist jot




foster child -
folded in his pocket
mother's last note

spinster's gairden -
wabs
hing frae breers




spinster's garden -
webs
hang from thorns

zip
o a kingfeesher
haar steekin ahint it




zip
of a kingfisher
mist closing behind it

the grue
o tyin a snuid -
granny's arthritis




the horror
of tying a ribbon -
grandmother's arthritis