Monday, March 31, 2008

weet blatters on thaim:
twa craws
staunin in inky dubs




rain beats on them:
two crows
standing in inky puddles
furst day o simmer time -
the playgrun chute
a siller watterfaw




first day of summer time -
the playground slide
a silver waterfall
silhouette airtist
sneckin aroon sheddaes
...fou muin




silhouette artist
snipping around shadows
...full moon

Sunday, March 30, 2008

fawin flichans -
far awa swans
driftin




falling snowflakes -
distant swans
drifting

Saturday, March 29, 2008

wundy agane -
craw hystes
a raggity weeng




windy again -
crow raises
a ragged wing

Friday, March 28, 2008

bawdrons skooks -
derk weengs
in's een




cat skulks -
dark wings
in his eyes

Thursday, March 27, 2008

sica stramash
frae the nursery playgrun:
speuggies




such an uproar
from the nursery playground:
sparrows
thrang speug:
a lang threid o girse
tae wyve aroon'r




busy sparrow:
a long thread of grass
to weave around her
brainch sheddaes
jeegsawin the plainstanes -
bairns lowp amang thaim




branch shadows
jigsawing the pavement -
children hop among them

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

the cailleach
an the burn
...at thair ain slaw raik




the old lady
and the stream
...at their own slow pace
'incident trappin' dirls -
wund sclices throuch
the vennel lik a gullie




'incident tape' rattles -
wind slices through
the alley like a knife

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

a vause o tulips
oot-yallain the sin -
snod in ma chaumer




a vase of tulips
out-yellowing the sun -
snug in my den

Monday, March 24, 2008

furst gorblins -
voar juist gat
roarier




first fledglings -
spring just got
noisier

Friday, March 21, 2008

Guid Friday -
hailstanes scartin,
teirin the flesh




Good Friday -
hailstones sctratching,
tearing the flesh
cadger an's dug -
his dowie sang
follaes me hame




beggar and his dog -
his sad song
follows me home

Thursday, March 20, 2008

fou muin -
maundy siller
fir awbodie




full moon -
maundy silver
for everyone


(Maundy Thursday)
shakkin wi lauchter:
the nuns
...the daffins




shaking with laughter:
the nuns
...the daffodils

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

yill bottle taps skailt -
he hunkers
refleckin on the galaxy




beer bottle tops scattered -
he sits
musing on the galaxy
simmer shows -
the attercap biggs
his hoose o dreid




summer fairground -
the spider builds
his house of horror

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

muinlicht -
a fite bawdrons slidderin
doon the gairden stairs




moonlight -
a white cat slithering
down the garden steps
furst gean flourish -
brainches reak
intae snaw cluds




first cherry blossom -
branches reach
into snow clouds

Monday, March 17, 2008

atween twa jags:
the brummle's flourish
makkin'ts wey




between two thorns:
the bramble's blossom
making its way



(Holy Week)
thrang bleckies
flee athort the sin -
thair fuskert sheddaes




busy blackbirds
fly across the sun -
their whiskered shadows

Sunday, March 16, 2008

hingin sparks
tremmle i the tirl -
farawa kirk bells




hanging raindrops
tremble in the breeze -
distant church bells

Saturday, March 15, 2008

throuch the olive plantin:
pyne
o shot joints




through the olive grove:
pain
of arthritic joints

Friday, March 14, 2008

smirr,
haar -
the muin dreeps



drizzle,
mist -
the moon drips
ma auld neebor
flittin:
offers a perr o buits




my old neighbour
moving house:
offers a pair of boots
midnicht weet -
on toon plainstanes
colours rin




midnight rain -
on city pavements
colours run
blue bonnet's sang -
pen an jotter
pit by




blue tit's song -
pen and notebook
put away

Thursday, March 13, 2008

deid makar -
agin the wa
his hey-sned roostit




dead poet -
against the wall
his scythe rusted


(for Hugh MacDiarmid)
airlie mornin clockin -
nuns
gaitherin eggs




early morning clucking -
nuns
gathering eggs
gairden
fou o the sea's rair -
the craw's nest sweys




garden
full of the sea's roar -
the crow's nest sways

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

stourin tae scuil -
thair fuitprents
left i the glaur




racing to school -
their footprints
left in the mud

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

draigon- fleein -
faither hauds's laddies
cot-tail




kite-flying -
father hold his son's
coat-tail
oot frae the
forsythia: reid rab
...bricht sperk




out from the
forsythia: a robin
...bright spark

Monday, March 10, 2008

day-daw -
abuin the nest's lip
bleckie's gowden neb




dawn -
above the nest's edge
blackbird's golden beak
daffins govein
intae the burn -
teepical narcissi




daffodils gazing
into the stream -
typical narcissi

Sunday, March 09, 2008

day efter the gemme -
the altar-laddie's
bleck- ee




day after the game -
the altar-boy's
black-eye

Saturday, March 08, 2008

bleck plastic poke
fluthers on the pikit weer -
craw threeps tae't




black plastic bag
flutters on the barbed wire -
crow talks to it

Friday, March 07, 2008

mairch wunds -
chirms o peerie burds
blawn bogshaivelt




march winds -
chirps of tiny birds
blown shapeless

Thursday, March 06, 2008

maggie no shair:
tae hunker wi the maws
or the craws




magpie not sure:
to sit with the gulls
or the crows

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

blawin on the braeside
siller birks
...skime o swords




blowing on the hillside
silver birches
...flash of swords
throuch the perk
coortin kipples -
daffins' heids heeld an tig




through the park
young lovers -
daffodils' heads lean and touch
poussin its new buds
throuch the razzor-weer -
forsythia




pushing its new buds
through the razor-wire -
forsythia

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

crcuses -
haudin thair bickers
up tae the sin




crocuses -
holding their cups
up to the sun

Monday, March 03, 2008

swan
risin
a fite fan apens




swan
approaching
a white fan opens
leain hame -
e'en his sheddae gaes
intae the flittin van




leaving home -
even his shadow goes
into the removal van

Sunday, March 02, 2008

mither's day -
in a derk vennel
she slerps'r gin




mother's day -
in a dark alley
she slurps her gin

Saturday, March 01, 2008

in the voar sin -
a signscriever
onlayin gowden straiks




in the spring sun -
a signwriter
laying on golden strokes