Tuesday, July 31, 2007

fir a spleet saicont -
maw an butterie
on the samen loopin peth




for a split second -
gull and butterfly
on the same winding path
sae drearifu -
wesps deein
in a dub o hinny




so sad -
wasps dying
in a puddle of honey
in the yin licht -
her apen ha-bible
his tuim yill bottle




in the one light -
her open bible
his empty beer bottle

Saturday, July 28, 2007

maws heave up
intae the licht
lavein thair sheddaes




gulls lift off
into the light
leaving their shadows

Friday, July 27, 2007

licht blinters
on a far awa burn -
deuk landin




light flickers
on a distant stream -
duck landing
sin throuch the brainches -
calligraphy:
tree on watter




sun through the branches -
calligraphy:
tree on water

Thursday, July 26, 2007

twa 'road-ragers'
gang gyte -
the caird dovers awa




two 'road-ragers'
rage -
the tramp sleeps on
foondert on the causey
she goves up at nebs -
sirens yowlin




collapsed on the street
she stares up at faces -
sirens wailing
juist whan the buss
leuks duin - a yalla rose
apens i the sin




just when the bush
looks finished - a yellow rose
opens in the sun
athort the leaves
a twa-heidit sheddae -
skwurrel reivin the orchard




across the leaves
a two-headed shadow -
squirrel raiding the orchard

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

the jimpest blue bonnet -
bawdrons' een glent
...green




the daintiest blue tit -
cat's eys flash
...green

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

threids on ma neb -
reengin fir'm
a'm snaggit in's wab




threads on my face -
searching for him
I'm caught in his web
faw'n petal -
brichtens
a dreich deuk




fallen petal -
brightens
a dull duck

Monday, July 23, 2007

on a brainch
narrest the sin
an aipple sterts tae reidden




on a branch
nearest the sun
an apple starts to redden

Sunday, July 22, 2007

the day brichtens
a sinflooer keeks oot
frae ahint a hollyhock




the day brightens
a sunflower peeps out
from behind a hollyhock

Saturday, July 21, 2007

lown chattert -
a snail unnerfuit
i the lang girse




silence shattered -
a snail underfoot
in the long grass

Thursday, July 19, 2007

crematorium
bonnie reid roses
...lowes slaikin




crematorium
beautiful red roses
...flames licking
heich thrissels -
throuch the leaves
cloots o blae lift




tall thistles -
through the leaves
rags of blue sky
on the peth
a bricht reid berry -
brocht here




on the path
a bright red berry -
brought here

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

a leaf
fawin dowlessly - scuffin
the ithers short an lang




a leaf
falling helplessly -
touching the others briefly
festival toon -
he sweers at the motorist,
an waffs's baguette




festival city -
he curses the motorist,
and waves his baguette
scartit
on the cell door:
a jibbet...a boatie




scratched
on the cell door:
a scaffold...a ship

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

agin the fite cluds -
a swalla
anchorin ma thochts




against the white clouds -
a swallow
anchoring my thoughts


(after Ian Hamilton findlay: concrete poet)
unner the brig
a brucken bottle
spreedin the licht




under the bridge
a broken bottle
spreading the light
a brek i the cluds -
a rousty bike
wabbles i the burn




a break in the clouds -
a rusty bicycle
wobbles in the stream

(Mainichi Daily News)
oot frae the sheddaes
a sheddae raxes
...craw




out from the shadows
a shadow stretches
...crow

Sunday, July 15, 2007

doon the rod
echt-wheelers thunnerin -
a leddy launners daunerin




down the highway
eight-wheelers thundering -
a ladybird walking

Friday, July 13, 2007

dugs stour
throuch the sned girse -
a green haar




dogs race
through the cut grass -
a green mist

Thursday, July 12, 2007

rivin's wheel-chair -
a peth throuch
breers an snorlie ruits




forcing his wheel-chair -
a path through
thorns and twisted roots
ahint steekit hingers -
the new weedower
blethers tae's guidwife




behind closed curtains -
the new widower
talks to his wife

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

bi the jile wa -
brummle breers
skailin bluid




by the prison wall -
bramble thorns
spilling blood

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

efter incaains
geeglin frae the sheddaes -
nuns on retreat




after prayers
giggling from the shadows -
nuns on retreat
bi the embassy
a chiel murmellin -
sheddae-baurs athort's neb




by the embassy
a protestor -
shadow-bars across his face
on toon lums
maws hunkerin -
thair sangs o the sey




on city chimneys
gulls sitting -
their songs of the sea

Monday, July 09, 2007

ootby the monastery -
the preachin
o the auncient aik




outside the monastery -
the sermon
of the ancient oak

Sunday, July 08, 2007

'jazz on a summer's day' -
a skep fou o flooers
fou o bummers




'jazz on a summer's day' -
a basket full of flowers
full of bees
oot frae a lift
o bleck an fite cluds -
craws an maws




out from a sky
of black and white clouds -
crows and gulls

Saturday, July 07, 2007

thrissel's purpie toorie -
bummer's wecht
cowps it croosly




thistle's purple bonnet -
bee's weight
tips it jauntily
scuil hoalidays -
in the playgrun
the widden dug's weet een




school holidays -
in the playground
the wooden dog's wet eyes
taigilt in refleckshuns
the pheelosopher
goves intae the dub




tangled in reflections
the philosopher
gazes into the pond

Friday, July 06, 2007

deuk scarts'r heid
wi an orange fuit -
easement on sic a gray day




duck scratches her head
with an orange foot -
relief on such a grey day

Thursday, July 05, 2007

fleedin quallt -
a clint heaves frae the burn
dichtit claen




flooding abated -
a rock rises from the stream
washed clean

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

smoorichin the het stane -
a lane rose
deein o drouth




hugging the hot stone -
a lone rose
dying of thirst
threy speuggies scash
on a roobrub blade -
druckenly




three sparrows squabble
on a rhubarb leaf -
drunkenly
'anither deid sodger' -
the brawest thrisseldoon
panders awa




'another dead soldier' -
the finest thistledown
drifts away

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

inveesabil midgies -
waggitie's
mid-err ballet




invisible midges -
wagtail's
mid-air ballet
bawdrons gittin auld -
ilka day his bell
narer the plainstanes




cat getting old -
every day his bell
nearer the pavement
the breer's fume
sneddin throuch
the diesel reek




the wild-rose's fragrance
cutting through
the diesel fumes

Monday, July 02, 2007

day daws
derkness sperfles -
leain the craws ahint




day dawns
darkness disperses -
leaving the crows behind
twa bleck dugs rin an daff -
thair reid tungs
thair fite banes




two black dogs run and play -
their red tongues
their white bones
simmer mornin -
tae glisk sic blitheness
wammlin throuch a cuddy




summer morning -
to see such joy
wriggling through a horse