the bairn
bletherin tae me -
brawer nor wurds




the baby
chatting to me -
better than words

lichtin up space:
the super-nova
'HOGMANAY'!




lighting up space:
the super-nova
'HOGMANAY'!

a scrieve hame
desert stoor
slairit




a letter home
desert dust
smudging

pinchin
skwurrel's nits
...hameless an hungert




stealing
squirrel's nuts
...homeless and hungry

echain
throuch the cosmos:
brattles shentin us




echoing
through the cosmos:
gunfire shaming us

cailleach
gaitherin hally
beads o bluid




old lady
gathering holly
beads of blood

throuch a fite lanscape
the bleck burn
...ink o a wunter haiku




through a white landscape
the black stream
...ink of a winter haiku

furst Yule -
forenent the tree
her een chyngin colour




first Christmas -
in front of the tree
her eyes changing colour

wund amang the sprots -
the cailleach
tellin'r beads




wind among the reeds -
the old lady
telling her beads

festival's en -
a lane pipie stauns
sax inch frae the muin




festival's end -
a lone piper stands
six inches from the moon

causies skimmer i the weet -
the hallion's neb
dreeps intae's bucket




cobbles glitter in the rain -
the clown's face
drips into his pail

nicht soonds
fauldit inby
the auld saxyphone




night sounds
at rest inside
the old saxophone

weet bates
on the leaves
hairst rags




rain beats
on the leaves
autumn rags

bag-wifie
orrals o drames
powkin throuch




bag-lady
bits of dreams
poking through

stuckies
reestin
the day's blethers




starlings
roosting
the day's gossip

scuil hoalidays -
granfaither an me
pishin aneath the muin




school holidays -
grandfather and I
pissing beneath the moon

peat lowe -
we hunker, threy glowein nebs
goavin at a fowert




peat fire -
we sit, three glowing faces
gazing at a fourth

deid on the kirk steps
a maggie...
braw in's vestments




dead on the church steps
a magpie...
fine in his vestments

readin Issa...
hunkerin
in a sinblink




reading Issa...
sitting
in a sunbeam

hallowday -
fleggin the postie:
a left-ower bogle




All Saints' day -
frightening the postman:
a left-over ghost

throuch the maple wuid
the lang reid peth
o hairst




through the maple wood
the long red path
of autumn

potter's hauns
wrochtin the tuimness
o's blae joogs




potter's hands
shaping the emptiness
of his blue jugs

lichtin up the scullery:
the pumpkin
bydein a neb




lighting up the kitchen:
the pumpkin
awaiting a face

fleedit causey -
throuch's hoose
reid maple leaves fleit




flooded street -
through his house
red maple leaves float

frae the brig:
clud sets
wrocht o watter




from the bridge:
cloud shapes
made of water

furst freest -
i the sin tentie
o the auld tree souchin




first frost -
in the sun watching
the old tree breathe

thunner
lichtnin
leaves ruffin




thunder
lightning
leaves applauding

mornin wirds -
the monastery bawdrons
gants




morning prayers -
the monastery cat
yawns

aff tae weir -
laggin hait
in's mither's rosary




off to war -
lingering heat
in his mother's rosary

peerie spule
back an fore
gien o'ts sel: attercap




tiny shuttle
back and forth
giving of itself: spider

amang the puppies
a furst reid rab
...a jalouse




among the poppies
a frst robin
...I think

circus in toon -
the lowe-chower's laddie
fair intae's candy-floss




circus in town -
the fire-eater's son
enjoying his candy-floss

day-daw -
mornin glories
unfauldin




dawn -
morning glories
unfolding

newly come hame  - 
sheddaed in her een
a warl yit tae be neemit




new born  -
shadowed in her eyes
a world yet to be named

'Jazz Record Seek'  -
tooters o nasturtium
swey i the gairden




'Jazz Record Requests'  -
trumpets of nasturtium
sway in the garden

Daddy-long-legs i the wab
Gizzent:
Weengs, trams, bouk, yin flet streek




crane fly in the web
sucked dry:
wings, legs, body, one flat line

roses' 
sindert heids
...a braw wreath




roses'
severed heads
...a fine wreath

suddentlie
the soun o laneliness:
whaup on the muir




suddenly
the sound of loneliness:
curlew on the moor

muinless nicht -
i the derk watter
the mudge o sterns




moonless night  -
in the dark river
the movement of stars

curmurrin watter:
a makar takkin tent o
ilka day




murmuring river:
a poet listened to
every day

the aul gairdner
doverin
...wallant rose heids




the old gardener
dozing
...drooping rose heads

maternity dept:
veesitin oor
pink an blae balloons jundie




maternity dept:
visiting hour
pink and blue balloons jostle

babbie snail
reengin
fir'ts hame




baby snail
searching
for its home

the auld scuil  -
natur glunshes the playgrun
binweed pikes the sneck




the old school  -
nature gobbles the playground
bindweed picks the lock

graduation parawd  -
e'en the flooers
raxin thair craigs




graduation parade  -
even the flowers
craning their necks

weedin pish-the-beds  -
his fite heid
amang fite heids




weeding dandelions  -
his white head
amongst white heads

on ilka wa
the graffiti
o sodgers' sheddaes




on every wall
the graffiti
of soldiers' shadows

deid moose  -
yince sae blate
the day landlord tae unco fowk




dead mouse  -
once so shy
today host to strangers

furst granbairn  -
crans wappin dosses
ower the hansel




first grandchild  -
swifts tying bows
over the gift

ablow the meypole
she breist-feeds'r bairn
...cosmic wab




below the maypole
she breast-feeds her child
...cosmic web

on the burn
a bricht wattergaw  -
fume o diesel




on the stream
a bright rainbow  -
smell of diesel

it the sushi coonter
sautit braze  -
myndin her tears




at the sushi counter
salted bream  -
remembering her tears

the ferm-wife's washin
stringit atween twa treen  -
braw bloomers




the farm-wife's washing
strung between two trees  -
fine bloomers

his bluid jinks
throuch the vennel's causies
...seelant syncopation




his blood zigzags
through the cobbled alley
...silent syncopation

(FOR CHET BAKER)

cowpin the rose
tae snowk  -
plowt o rainwatter




tipping the rose
to smell  -
cascade of rainwater

awthing
rowed in sinlicht  -
naethin unforgien




everything
wrapped in sunlight  -
nothing unforgiven

the aul chiel hirples alang  - 
the burn
dookin an heavin




the old man limps along  -
the stream
dipping and rising

sin
throuch the cluds  -
ox-ee gowan




sun
through the clouds  -
ox-eye daisy

olympics  -
awready on the flagpole:
snail




olympics  -
already on the flagpole:
snail

the watter slidders by  -
weet feshin oot
the creepy -crawlies




the river slithers by  -
rain bringing out
the creepy-crawlies

voar
greening
the burn




spring
greening
the stream

pish-the-beds  -
universe
o sins an muins




dandelions  -
universe
of suns and moons

i the derkness
the puppieteer snites towes:
bairns lauch...greit




in the darkness
the puppeteer tweaks strings:
children laugh ...cry

fou muin...
granny's
pandrops




full moon...
grandmother's
pandrops

the blin chiel
screedin aff the braille
o's apened flooers




the blind man
reading the braille
of his opened flowers

in's gairden
the dozed sailboat
...he aye drames yit




in his garden
the rotting sailboat
...he still dreams on

maws skirlin
sey runchin shalls -
ma buik o shanties




gulls keening
sea grinding shells -
my book of shanties

on the altar
caunles lowe
...yalla roses




on the altar
candles flame
...yellow roses

throuch's lace hinger
ma neebor
...attercap




through his lace curtain
my neighbour
...spider

watter in spate
stoorin
tae tryst wi the lift...agane




swollen river
racing
to meet with the sky...again

mornin
o the fooneral
bluebells




morning
of the funeral
bluebells

oot
frae the cosmic core
this peerie burd cheetlin




out
from the cosmic core
this tiny bird chirping

cancer  - 
his spaul bleds:
angels' weengs sprootin




cancer  -
his shoulder blades:
angels' wings sprouting

bleckie's
jeckit embryo  -
murtherin maggie




blackbird's
discarded embryo  -
murdering magpie

a mornin
o pink dubs
alang gean-tree rod




a morning
of pink puddles 
along cherry-tree road

abuin kirkyaird brae
cluds
heavin, shiftin




above cemetery hill
clouds
rising, transforming

gean orchard  -
cumuli-fou
lift




cherry orchard  -
cumuli-filled
sky

intae the mools
a rose  -
twa sonnets ower




into the grave
a rose  -
two stories ended

i the gairden
the gean tree
...learnin




in the garden
the cherry tree
...teaching

fou muin  -
fite lowe
o the paschal caunle




full moon  -
white flame
of the paschal candle

intae the gairden
a gled  -
stramash o weengs




into the garden
a hawk  -
cacaphony of wings

hoaspice flooers  -
thair sheddaes
sprauchlin nar




hospice flowers  -
their shadows
creeping closer

suddent sherp wund  -
the daffins
skew awa




sudden sharp wind  -
the daffodils
turn away

fitba i the perk  -
daffins an croci
prood i thair colours




football in the park  -
daffodils and croci
proud in their colours

ma baurber
soops me doon
...aumond flourishins faw




my barber
brushes me down
...almond blossom falls

derk cluds  -
craws gang doon
on the burd-brod




dark clouds  -
crows descend
on the bird-table

bride posin
bi the watterside  -  a swan
gaes intil the derk burn




bride posing
on the riverbank  -  a swan
enters the dark stream

voar' green nebs  -
we gaither roon
the bairn's furst scan pictur




spring's green tips  -
we gather round
baby's first scan picture

fou muin  -
doverin, her wyvin faws
rowes oot the door




full moon  -
dozing, her knitting falls
rolls out the door

a laddie wins awa  -
back i the gairden
a trummlin brainch




a son emigrates  -
back in the garden
a trembling branch

throuch brainches  -
the sin sneddin
sheddaes oot o the freest




through branches  -
the sun cutting
shadows out of the frost

fou muin  -
wunter treen streek oot
fleggin the bairns




full moon  -
winter trees stretch out
frightening the children

in a hinmaist
leam o sinlicht
speuggie beeks hissel




in a last
ray of sunlight
sparrow warms himself

artic wunds  -
reid rab
wi's reid gravat




artic winds  -
robin
with his red scarf

Bethlehem bairns
daff at bools
glowert at throuch corsherrs




Bethlehem children
play marbles
watched through crosshairs

fou muin  -
the blin chiel's crummock
proggin




full moon  -
the blind man's stick
probing

bi the blawn-doon
T.V. aerial
snail  -  his antenny proggin




by the blown-down
T.V. aerial
snail  -  his antenna probing