killer i the sinsheen:

bawdrons kids on sloom

aneath the speuggies

killer in the sunshine:

cat feigns sleep

beneath the sparrows

efter Mass

refleckin on the tuim tassie

...fou o sinsheen

after Mass

reflecting on the empty cup

...full of sunshine

on the plainstanes

speuggies hop amang the brainches

in a sheddae warl

on the pavement

sparrows hop among the branches

in a shadow world

Guid friday  -

Reid Rab roon ma feet

its bluid-reid breist

Good friday  -

a robin round my feet

its blood -red breast

 suddentlie

the AH!! mament  -

gean flourish

suddenly

the AH!! moment  -

 cherry blossom

his jab date:

Guid Friday

...the bouk thirlt

his vaccination date:

Good Friday

...the body pierced

furst bummers

souch i the daffins' heids

...voar raga

first bees

drone in the daffodils' heads

...spring raga

 funeral mornin  -

a bleckie howks a hole

i the seed-bed

funeral morning  -

a blackbird digs a hole

in the seed-bed

 the via dolorosa  -

a dozie-heidit bawdrons

retours tae's dwam

the via dolorosa  -

a sleepy-headed cat

returns to his dream

monks

traik  the stations

throuch caunle-lit daffins

monks

walk the stations

through candle-lit daffodils

agane

the reeng

o harebells

again

the ring

of bluebells

taur squad

rained aff  -  a wattergaw

quat on the causey

ashphalt squad

rained off  -  a rainbow

left on the street

creck o the host

licht sklentin frae the quaich

...sabbath thunnerstorm

crack of the host

light flashing from the chalice

...sunday thunderstorm

the cob snecks an plets

the girss  -  she feshes the seed

Intae the wyve

the cob snips and plaits

the grass  -  she fetches the seed

into the weave

faither's waddin reeng

wark wurn  -

inby, twa bricht nems

father's wedding ring

work worn  -

inside, two bright names

the day  

the cheep o a kintra tune

an the years drapt awa

today  

the hint of a country accent

and the years fell away

siller birks

i the wund

...'the divine dance'

silver birches

in the wind

...'the divine dance'

rugby gemme  -

mid the breetality o studs

yin bricht crocus

rugby match  -

midst the brutality of studs

one bright crocus

amaryllis  -

tooterin the day

the hid meesterie

amaryllis  -

trumpeting today

the hidden mystery

new rodwarks  -

a peerie patch o snawdraps

wins oot

new roadworks  -

a tiny patch of snowdrops 

prevail

on the wunter tree

a flourish

o blue bonnets

on the winter tree

a blossom

of blue tits

blin smoor    -

the swans hae cookit

...til they muive

snow drift  -

the swans have disappeared

...until they move

ma neebour's tree  -

a trapeze warl

o blue bonnets

my neighbour's tree  -

a trapeze world

of bluetits

laid aff  -

ilka day tentie

o an eeshogel growein

furloughed  -

every day watching

an icicle grow

snaw faws ootby  -

the priest sains oor clachan

cleedit in a fite robe

snow falls outside  -

the priest blesses our village

dressed in a white robe

 brucken-doon snawmen  -

maggies matin

on een an nebs

broken-down snowmen  -

magpies feeding

on eyes and noses

 weengs spreid 

peened tae the fairmer's palin:

craw's petrine corse

wings spread

pinned to the farmer's fence:

crow's petrine cross

 jag day  -

throuch the doacter's winnock

eeshogels dreepin

vaccination day  -

through the doctor's window

icicles dripping

 lockdoon  -

the bairnie dirls

the playgrun's yetts

lockdown  -

the toddler rattles

the playground's  gates

daw's reid licht  -

hemmerin

frae the smiddy

dawn's red light  -

hammering

from the smithy

swan slips

intae the watter

...ryal barque

swan slips

into the river

...royal barque 

freestit playgrun -

myndin the keekin-gless

wrocht wi tacketie buits

frosted playground  -

remembering the mirror

made with hobnailed boots

 the swans it roseburn

keekin throuch the sprots

...aye in lockdoon

the swans at roseburn

peering through the reeds

...still in lockdown

wunter  

in ma aviator bunnet

...the spaniel goves

winter  

in my aviator hat

...the spaniel stares

bucket day  -

gin bottles blink bleart lik

i the daw licht

bin day  -

gin bottles blink blearily

in the dawn light

hameless  -

nae Yule whigmaleeries

bit the merry dancers

homeless  -

no Christmas baubles

but the northern lights

 Yule lichts turnt on  -

yirth yin skinklin

whigmaleerie in space

Christmas lights turned on  -

earth one glittering

bauble in space

 brick throuch

the priest's winnock

...Yule stern

brick through

the priest's window

...Christmas star

err thrabs

as swans win awa

...stoorin cluds

air throbs

as swans leave

...racing clouds

aince mair

Yule lowes i the herth

...poinsettia

again Christmas

flames in the hearth

...poinsettia.

friday clavers

roon the fush-van

...apen-mou'd mackrel

friday gossip

round the fish-van

...open-mouthed mackrel

anely hersel

an the Yule cactus  -

lanely covid blues

only herself

and the Christmas cactus  -

lonely covid blues

i the gairden

maggies line the palin  

...boogie--woogie pianny

in the garden

magpies line the fence  

...boogie-woogie piano

 pumpkin foondert

anely the caunle left

...tae licht anither

pumpkin slumped

only the candle left

...to light another

 aneath hairst treen

plainstanes buskit

in gowd leaf

beneath autumnal trees

pavements adorned

in gold leaf

 weet bates  -

leaves flettent atween pages

o yestreen an the day

rain beats  -

leaves flattened between pages

of yesterday and today

 broozilt gowan  -

petals ligg

...exclamation merks 

crushed daisy  -

petals lie

...exclamation marks 

 licht throuch

the hairst treen

...apenin her keel boax

light through

the autumnal trees

...opening her crayon box

yestreen a corp

the day swans' bonnieness

...the burn's calm souch

yesterday a corpse

today swans' elegance

...the stream's equanimity 

droont eemigrant

his wan fissog turnt

tae the muin o hame

drowned immigrant

his pale face turned 

to the moon of home

auld daunce studio  -

the wrackin-baw's sweeng

feshes the hoose doon

old dance studio  -

the wrecking-ball's swing

brings the house down

 pittin oot the buckets  -

a fou muin

...sae claen

putting out the bins  -

a full moon

...so clean

 watterside poorhoose  -

they gove it thirsels

ablow the watter

riverside hostel  -

they gaze at themselves

below the water

 daw sinblink

chirtin watter

frae the freestit leaves

dawn sunbeam

squeezing water

from the frosted leaves

 furst the ambulance

wins in  -  syne bawdrons

his bell tinglin

first the ambulance

arrives  -  then cat

his bell tinkling

 the bairns hairst

the maumie aipples

...thayr hattert nebs

the children harvest

the ripe apples

...their flustered faces.

 i the perk

craws tissle ower a berry

tentless o the ref's whustle 

in the park

crows tussle over a berry

heedless of the ref's whistle

virus apairtness  -
new peths
throuch the wuids



social distancing  -

new paths
through the woods

the fush-cadger's
honkin tooter  -
bawdrons raxes up



the fish-seller's
honking horn  -
cat rises and stretches

hoosebund she goves
oot atween her baudies
...fantoosh lugreengs



housebound she gazes
out between her orchids
...exotic earings

magnolias apenin  -
anither year
anither  caunle



magnolias opening  -
another year
another  candle

efter the beerial
tea it the gowf club
...tentie o thaim sinkin putts



after the burial
tea at the golf club
...watching them sinking putts

dreich day  -
i the playgrun
the chute's siller linn



dull day  -
in the playground
the chute's silver waterfall

sparks on roddens  -
quattin thair reid life
thair clair spreit wins awa



raindrops on rowans  -
leaving their red life
their clear spirit falls away

mornin Mass  -
ootby a flocht o maws
threepin in tungs



morning Mass  -
outside a flurry of gulls
speaking in tongues

the auld jazzman's cortege

slaws bi the pub

...his owdience aye clappin

the old jazzman's cortege

slows by the pub

...his audience still clapping

unner the aipple tree
the auld sodger dwams
...amang the faw'n yins



under the apple tree
the old soldier dreams
...among the fallen ones

hern speirin
wi ilk fuitstap
...as the bodach daes



heron probing
with each footstep
...as the old man does

efter the blowster
bleck-eed
brummles



after the storm
black-eyed
brambles

skateperk  -
hauflins makkin
dunts an birses



skateperk  -
youngsters making
bumps and bruises

jivin
wi ma grandochter
...tuba an clarinet wyvein



jiving
with my grand-daughter
...tuba and  clarinet weaving

hame frae the yirdin  -
waterin
the gizzent flooers



home from the funeral  -
watering
the shrivelled flowers

swan preenin  -
feddery wiles
fleet doonstream



swan preening  -
feathery lures
float downstream

frae the
hazel tree
bleckie's luve sang



from the
hazel tree
blackbird's love song

blythefou swallae
loopin throuch
a mairchless lift




happy swallow
looping through
a borderless sky

sumhin's dee'd  -
simmer flooers growe
throuch the banes



something's died  -
summer flowers grow
through the bones

deuks fleet intae
a sinblink - becumin
whit a sinblink's becum



ducks float into
a sunbeam  -  becoming
what a sunbeam's become

pandemic  -  the day
e'en the craw
muives twa metres awa



pandemic  -  today
even the crow
moves two metres away

shaucht fause-face  -
throuch the haar
a bleckie chirmin



discarded face-mask  -
through the mist
a blackbird trilling

lockdoon easement
brickies back tae wark  -
thair rousty truans




lockdown easing
bricklayers back to work  -
their rusty trowels

gairden picnic  -
efter the bairns win awa
the wesps redd up



garden picnic  -
after the children leave
the wasps clear up

pecht on the brae  -
tentie o the wund
fouin the bairn's draigon



breathless on the hillside  -
watching the wind
filling the child's kite

thankrife  -
a freithin eller flooer
hystit tae anither simmer




grateful  -
a frothing elder flower
raised to another summer

pandemic  -
in's owergrown gairden
a rose barein its hert



pandemic  -
in his overgrown garden
a rose bareing its heart

kirk lockdoon  -
rosary i the gairden
...bummers' thrummin chorus



church lockdown  -
rosary in the garden
...bees' humming chorus

the craiturs
hae thair ain pandemic 
...chowkin on plastic




the creatures
have their own pandemic -
choking on plastic

the cailleach
sel-isolatin  -  anely
a sheddae tae be gliskit




the old lady
self-isolating  -  only
a shadow to be seen

a drave o baggies  -
a glisk auld sheddies 
stanced wi jeelie-jaurs




a shoal of minnows  -
I see old shadows
poised with jam jars

sinlicht skooks
athort the brae  -
yalla on the brume



sunlight creeps
across the hill  -
yellow on the broom

efter the souch
the puil
learns me meditation




after the breeze
the pool
teaches me meditation

scurs  -
a day
i the sin




mayflys  -
a day
in the sun

pandemic  -
the cricket pitch
owergrowen




pandemic  -
the cricket pitch
overgrown

covid 19
...pish-the-bed puffbaws
bidin a braith



covid 19
...dandelion puffballs
awaiting a breath

twa swans
on the roukie watter
...far awa heidlichts



two swans
on the misty river
...distant headlights

tint horseshoe  -
sumwhaur the soond
o huifbeats in waltz-time




lost horseshoe  -
somewhere the sound
of hoofbeats in waltz-time

wis't deforce?  -
the drake stoors awa
deuk weshes hersel wuidly




was it rape?  -
the drake rushes away
duck washes herself furiously

ping-pong i the perk  -
fawin gean flourish
begowks hauf-blin grandad




table-tennis in the park  -
falling cherry blossoms
fool half-blind grandad

in a bourach
o gowd stoor
moch an attercap




in a storm
Of gold dust
moth and spider

peerie laddie
slooshin throuch the dubs
...his buits gean flourisht




little boy
splashing through the puddles
...his boots cherry blossomed

voar gairdenin  -
Reid Rab's Yule pose
on the spade haunle




spring gardening  -
the robin's Christmas pose
on the spade handle