autistic laddie
faw'n ower
cartoons jiggin on's neb




autistic boy
fallen asleep
cartoons dancing on his face

sin braks throuch -
a steel caber
boos i the burn




sun breaks through -
a steel beam
bends in the stream

haggit wuid -
a singul burd
dairtin throuch the quate




felled forest -
a single bird
darting through the silence

treen owerhing -
the burn chynges
frae bibblin licht tae grumlie




trees overhang -
the stream changes
from bubbling light to gloomy

bairns skelloch
airms i the err -
playgrun fou o bibbles




children scream
arms in the air -
playground full of bubbles

cluds
passin ower
fou o dubs




clouds
passing over
full of puddles

saumon fir tae -
ma fingers
jowelt




salmon for tea -
my fingers
jewelled

weet fir days -
in the syver
pran o yestreen's speirins




rain for days -
in the gutter
pulp of yesterday's news

furst communicants'
blinterin croons -
leaf-pynts hingit wi sparks




first communicants'
glittering diadems -
leaf-tips hung with raindrops

hauf-fou halflins
sclimin the sterr -
paidlin squaiks intae'r drame




tiddly teenagers
climbing the stairs -
pressing squeaks into her dream

doverin -
Yamaguchi's haiku
heavin an fawin




dozing -
Yamaguchi's haiku
rising and falling

ranter -
muckle-boukit in a dub
aneath the wildfire




reveller -
pregnant in a puddle
beneath the lightning

...doon the burn
a singul rose petal
wyves atween the deuks




...down the stream
a single rose petal
weaves between the ducks

a blink
frae the puppie -
a bummer in'ts ee




a wink
from the poppy -
a bumblebee in its eye

athort the new rin-in
bawdrons' fitprents -
sall ootlast us baith




across the new driveway
cat's footprints -
shall outlast us both

raxin fir a clud
the bairn tottles -
sits i the dub smirkin




reaching for a cloud
the toddler topples -
sits in the puddle smiling

weet stertin
attercap rinnin
atween the draps




rain starting
spider running
between the drops

a splatch
o wull roobrub
diddlin i the weet




a patch
of wild rhubarb
singing in the rain

weet - tirrin
the gean's petals
yin bi yin




rain - stripping
the rose's petals
one by one

craw
wi's muckle neb
sowps a singul spark




crow
with his huge beak
sips a single raindrop

hern, stane-still -
wund suddentlik
pooks a fedder frae's weeng




heron, stone-still -
wind suddenly
plucks a feather from his wing

govein doon on hern -
govein doon
intae the watter




gazing down on heron -
gazing down
into the watter

a breer -
nettles heeld forrit
gairdin it




a wild rose -
nettles lean forward
gaurding it

blowster -
wabs bairdie
wi thrisseldoon




gales -
webs bearded
with thistledown

the fisher
kestin's piece-box
catchit a burd




the fisherman
casting his sandwich-box
caught a bird

frae'r daith-bed
she seis the brummle's flourish
gie wey tae the fruit




from her death-bed
she sees the bramble's blossom
give way to the fruit

a mornin
o dubs:
rhymin awthing




a morning
of puddles:
repeating everything

the convent gairden's
gnomes hae pawkie smirks -
yin plays the box




the convent garden's
gnomes have roguish smiles -
one plays the accordian

clematis
raxin apen -
nae bummers the day




clematis
straining open -
no bees today

deuklins on the towe-peth -
amangst the yella gowans
bawdrons' een




ducklings on the tow-path -
amongst the buttercups
cat's eyes

sainit wi haly ile
a prees ma broo
agin ma guidwife's




blest with holy oil
I press my forehead
against my wife's

twa bleckies on a stug
centuries-auld sangs
in thair nebs




two blackbirds on a stump
centuries-old songs
in their beaks

butterie
foryettin,myndin,
foryettin...the wey




butterfly
forgetting,remembering,
forgetting...the way

ootby the howf
youthie speuggies
in a stramash




outside the pub
young sparrows
disturbing the peace

ootby the vennel
a puil o bluid -
fuchsias owerhingin




outside the alley
a pool of blood -
fuchsias overhanging

michaelmas gowans
gove athort the causey
tae the kirk ferr




michaelmas daisies
gaze across the street
to the church fair

aw day
sneddin treen -
a bog on ma pillae




all day
pruning trees -
a bug on my pillow

reid puppies
heeld thegither
...derk een




red poppies
lean together
...dark eyes

roukie mornin -
sheddae burds unnerwatter
sheddae burds i the err




misty morning -
shadow birds underwater
shadow birds in the air

atween the bodach
an the speuggie:
brukken breid




between the old man
and the sparrow:
broken bread

a furst burd veesits -
the peerie aipple tree
boos




a first bird visits -
the tiny apple tree
bows

the cailleach's roses
heeld oot
intae the ceetie




the old lady's roses
lean out
into the city

pheelosopher:
bleart refleckshun
in's fuskie




philosopher:
bleary reflection
in his whisky

roses hing frae the wa
...nebs o the
orphantage bairns




roses hang from the wall
...faces of the
orphanage children

bummer slidderin oot
frae the lady's thummles -
its wark duin




bee slipping out
from the foxglove's bell -
its work done

the deein sinflooer
goves
intae the bicker




the dying sunflower
stares
into the teacup

in the sin
a craw hunkers
in a dub o bleck fedders




in the sun
a crow sits
in a puddle of black feathers

leaf fleitin slawer
nor the rist o the burn -
the makar in't




leaf floating slower
than the rest of the stream -
the poet in it

a hinmaist
pish-the-bed
taisilt bi the tirl




a last
dandelion-clock
teased by the breeze

abuin the burn
mudges - ower fest
tae lave a sheddae




above the stream
midges - too fast
to leave a shadow

seturday mornin fitbaw -
anither baw
fleits doon the watter




saturday morning football -
another ball
floats downstream