Thursday, December 31, 2015

wunter blowster  -
on nakit brainches
speuggies' rodeo




winter storm  -
on naked branches
sparrows' rodeo

Monday, December 28, 2015

fegs!
the wrang kirkyaird
...craws gairdin the yetts




oops!
the wrong cemetery
...crows guarding the gates

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Yule fluidin  -
an unnerwatter
shooglin-cuddie




Christmas  flooding  -
an underwater
rocking-horse

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Yule e'en  -
neist tae the crib
blawort brustin intae life




Christmas eve  -
next to the crib hyacinths
bursting into life

Monday, December 21, 2015

trystin wi an auld fere  -
the monie gaps
in's gams




meeting an old friend  -
the many gaps
in his teeth

Friday, December 18, 2015

cluds bairge
crecks kythe
...lichtnin




clouds collide
cracks appear
...lightning

Thursday, December 17, 2015

crematorium  -
hungert craws
roond the lum




crematorium  -
hungry crows
round the chimney

Friday, December 11, 2015

i the nursery gairden
they stoor'n tummle
...skwurrels




in the nursery garden
they race and tumble
...squirrels

Wednesday, December 09, 2015

coffee  -
oam sweels'n shoogles
...sambas o Brazil




coffee  -
steam swirls and shakes
...sambas of Brazil
transmugrifee'd  -
her umberellae
tae a siller attercap




metamorphosed  -
her umbrella
to a silver spider

Monday, December 07, 2015

the chinee lassie's smirk  -
aw day:
cluds, flooers, bawdrons... smirkin




the chinese girl's smile  -
all day:
clouds, flowers, cat...smiling

Saturday, December 05, 2015

chinee hameless -
ootby's cairdboard hoose
...his shuin




chinese homeless -
outside his cardboard house
...his shoes

Friday, December 04, 2015

wunter's nakit brainches -
Alzheimer patients
gove throuch the taigilment




winter's bare branches -
Alzheimer patients
gaze through the entanglement
snarlt mappie -
govin oop
it craw's bleck corss




snared rabbit -
gazing up
at crow's black cross

Tuesday, December 01, 2015

dreich mornin -
umberellaes
mushroomin




wet morning -
umbrellas
mushrooming

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

shairly gliskit
frae space:
Yirth's caunles fir the deid



surely seen
from space:
Earth's candles for the dead

Monday, November 23, 2015

amang the sterns
a skimmerin daunce
...fireflees




among the stars
a glittering dance
...fireflies

Saturday, November 21, 2015

mallard deuks
bobbin in a reeng
...emerant carket




mallard ducks
bobbing in a circle
...emerald necklace

Friday, November 20, 2015

november tirl
throuch the wab -
a deid flee dirls




november breeze
through the web -
a dead fly quivers

(All Souls' Day)

Thursday, November 19, 2015

ablow the rodden tree
the cailleach reddin snaw
...her reid neb




below the rowan tree
the old lady clearing snow
...her red nose

Wednesday, November 04, 2015

aneath the tree
the bodach dovers
hapt in a wab




beneath the tree
the old man dozes
wrapped in a web
aneath
the persimmon tree
bawdrons' yalla een




beneath
the persimmon tree
cat's yellow eyes

Tuesday, November 03, 2015

breist clinic  -
blitheness i the een
o a fyow




breast clinic  -
joy in the eyes
of a few

Monday, November 02, 2015

hairst -
unnerwatter leaves
ooplichtin the burn





autumn -
submerged leaves
uplighting the stream


Saturday, October 31, 2015

skairin
the bluid i ma veins  -
mosquito




sharing
the blood in my veins  -
mosquito
a clair blae lift  -
contrails
steekin the warl thegither




a clear blue sky  -
contrails
stitching the world together


hallae e'en  -
the dirlin skellets
o deid leaves




halloween  -
the rattling skeletons
of dead leaves
peerie laddie pishin  -
ettles tae shoot doon
a bygaun flee




little boy pissing  -
tries to shoot down
a passing fly
a lang life
o bricht sins:
the persimmon tree




a lifetime
of bright suns:
the persimmon tree

persimmons
faw an daise
...croonin o the bummers




persimmons
fall and rot
...singing of the bees
nicht fushin  -
wi the muin an orion...
pisces




night fishing  -
with the moon and orion...
pisces
tirran's stookie  -
liggs a derkness
on the yirth




tyrant's statue  -
lays a darkness
on the earth

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

unner
the persimmon tree
sketchin wi wurds




under
the persimmon tree
sketching with words

Wednesday, October 07, 2015

sauch leaves faw
ligg as threepin picturs:
tree wi muin




willow leaves fall
lie as ideograms:
tree with moon

Monday, October 05, 2015

the leaves hae gane
lea'in
a derk scart




the leaves have gone
leaving
a dark scribble

Sunday, October 04, 2015

chestane rodden an birk  -
hairst lichts
throuch the glen




chestnut rowan and birch  -
autumn lights
through the valley

Thursday, October 01, 2015

indian simmer  -
bummers'
lang sheddaes



indian summer  -
bees'
long shadows

Sunday, September 27, 2015

kingfisher
brung blae tae the mornin,
dookin he eikit siller




kingfisher
brought blue to the morning,
diving he added silver

Friday, September 18, 2015

throuch the onding
the bodach wyves  -  fou?
...leaky shuin!




through the downpour
the old man weaves  -  drunk?
...leaky shoes!

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

granfaither's hose  -
she skooshes a wattergaw
ontae the pansies



grandfather's hose  -
she sprays a rainbow
onto the pansies

Monday, September 14, 2015

riven jazz poster  -
bitties o blae
i the wund




torn jazz poster  -
bits of blue
in the wind

Saturday, September 12, 2015

hairst blaws in  -
e'en the dub
chitterin




autumn blows in  -
even the pond
shivering

Friday, September 11, 2015

pewlin wund  -
the wab
boos lik the blues




wailing wind  -
the web
bends like the blues

Tuesday, September 08, 2015

ootby the maisic chaumer
twa youthie maws
...ettlin tae git in tuin




outside the music room
two young gulls
...trying to get in tune

Saturday, September 05, 2015

whaur the wattergaw
skifft the burn
a kingfisher




where the rainbow
touched the stream
a kingfisher

Friday, September 04, 2015

hameless
doverin on the baunk
...whaur the watter skites the clints




homeless
sleeping on the riverbank
...where the water hits the rocks

Saturday, August 29, 2015

bairns
smirks's bricht as berries
nou this mingin cargae...weir




children
smiles as bright as berries
now this rotting cargo...war

Friday, August 28, 2015

nicht watchie
daein's roonds  -
fou muin




night watchman
doing his rounds  -
full moon







she maks a purpie sin
wi playdough
...an fettles a brucken sodger




she makes a purple sun
with playdough
...and mends a broken soldier

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

a day bairnsittin  -
granny geegles
an wammles in'r sloum




a day babysitting  -
grandmother giggles
and wriggles in her sleep

Monday, August 24, 2015

jennie-lang-legs
lowst frae the wab
dis a wee daunce




cranefly
freed from the web
does a little dance

Sunday, August 23, 2015

his hinmaist eemage:
a butterie it rist...
syne een steekit...weengs apened




his last image:
a butterfly at rest...
then eyes closed...wings opened

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Tai Chi  -
dugs reeng'm yowlin
...dae they snowk teeger?




Tai Chi  -
dogs surround him barking
...do they smell tiger?

Thursday, August 20, 2015

liggin hert tae hert
tentie
o the rackets




lying heart to heart
listening
to the fireworks

Monday, August 17, 2015

auld pictur frame
leukin throuch't...
ilk sicht a maisterpiece



old picture frame  
looking through it...
each scene a masterpiece


Sunday, August 16, 2015

bricht sin  -
fir'r burthday granfaither
weirs a claen sark




bright sun  -
for her birthday grandad
wears a clean shirt

Sunday, August 09, 2015

lit caunles
tears as they mouten  -
Nagasaki day




lit candles
tears as they melt  -
Nagasaki day
gladioli  -
life raxin
tae the tapmaist heid




gladioli  -
life aspiring
to the topmost head

Friday, August 07, 2015

butterie druckenly
ettlin tae win awa
frae the lavender




butterfly drunkenly
trying to leave
the lavender

Thursday, August 06, 2015

hungower
he hings ower the brig
...oh fir the wit o deuks




hungover
he hangs over the bridge
...oh for the wisdom of ducks

Wednesday, August 05, 2015

striddlin etins
as the sin muves athort
...trees' sheddaes




striding giants
as the sun moves across
...trees' shadows
bi'r lair a poke o bluid  -
ootby the winnock
rodden berries




by her bed a bag of blood  -
outside the window
rowan berries


Monday, July 27, 2015

a vause o lilies
dreepin pollen
an: a Jackson Pollock




a vase of lilies
dripping pollen
and: a Jackson Pollock

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

staunin i the perk
heicher nor the bairns
...hern




standing in the park
taller than the children
...heron

Monday, July 13, 2015

a fowerteen billion year
vaig
cums cleedit in sinflooers




a fourteen billion year
journey
comes dressed in sunflowers

Thursday, July 09, 2015

siller sin -
a drapt quinie
i the burn




silver sun -
a dropped coin
in the stream

Tuesday, July 07, 2015

mornin glore
tootles seelently
...droonin oot awthing




morning glory
trumpets silently
...drowning out everything
barbecue -
the sin's licht skirls
amang the links




barbecue -
the sun's light sizzles
amongst the sausages

Monday, July 06, 2015

fuchsia bell
dirlin
...eydent bummer




fuchsia bell
reverbrating
...busy bee

Saturday, July 04, 2015

speuggies gaither
ablow thair parrysols
...wull roobrub




sparrows gather
beneath their parasols
...wild rhubarb

Friday, July 03, 2015

alzheimers -
a tak'm fushin,
aneath the scruif
sheddaed draves



alzheimers -
I take him fishing,
beneath the surface
shadowy shoals

Monday, June 29, 2015

he sayed he seen
the Almichtie daunce yince
...reid-crooned crans




he said he saw
God dance once
...red-crowned cranes
yer peerie bouet
sweengin doon the causey -
fireflee




your tiny lamp
swinging down the street -
firefly

Saturday, June 27, 2015

hou the sin
pents the dub
in sheds o emerant




how the sun
paints the pond
in shades of green

Friday, June 26, 2015

shooglin the beddie -
i the winnock
a crescent muin




rocking the cradle -
in the window
a crescent moon

Thursday, June 25, 2015

in fawin weet
a bleckie
...brawer nor musardrie




in falling rain
a blackbird
...finer than poetry

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

fou
he coonts the sterns
cryin thaim gowans




drunk
he counts the stars
calling them daisies

Sunday, June 21, 2015

faither's day -
we hunker bondit
craw an me




father's day -
we sit bonded
crow and I

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

i the gairden  -
peer tree an wund
warstlin




in the garden  -
pear tree and wind
wrestling

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

craw an leprone
flee aff
tae cum yin




crow and baby rabbit
fly off
to become one

Sunday, June 07, 2015

crescent muin
i the winnock
parasnuvin attercap




crescent moon
in the window
paragliding spider
simmer lift  -
atween the leaves
blae butteries




summer sky  -
between the leaves
blue butterflies
the cailleach hunkers
tae incaa  -  a cruived burd
thrabs it the winnock




the old lady kneels
to pray  -  a trapped bird
beats at the window
harlin hey
he skews tae waff
...droonin in butteries




raking hay
he turns to wave
...drowning in butterflies

Friday, May 29, 2015

a shilfie  -
sae colourfou
it sud threip




a chaffinch  -
so colourful
it should speak

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

muin
on a shank
coo persel




moon
on a stalk
cow parsley

Monday, May 25, 2015

tentie o the bygaun burn
a hauflin
taen tent o bi a bodach




watching the passing stream
a youth
watched by an old man

Saturday, May 23, 2015

backlan kettle  -
granny wows thaim
wi'r gowan- cheens




ghetto picnic  -
grandmother  wows them
with her daisy-chains





Friday, May 22, 2015

skirlin
granfaither an bairn  -
fingers in's baird




screaming
grandfather and child  -
fingers in his beard

Sunday, May 17, 2015

craw cecks  -
a fite muin
showls i the burn




crow shits  -
a white moon
distorts in the stream

Friday, May 15, 2015

craw hunkers aside me
blenkin a morse code
wi thae eerie een




crow sits beside me
blinking a morse code
with those weird eyes
soond o rowin chuckies  -
craw fushin
i the shallaes




sound of rolling rocks  -
crow  fishing
in the shallows

Monday, May 11, 2015

dunt on the kist  -
yirth frae an Irish brae
tae a Scots brae




thump on the coffin  -
earth from an Irish hill
to a Scottish hill

Wednesday, May 06, 2015

sparks skite
athort the gless
...dauncers on ice




raindrops skid
across the glass
...dancers on ice

Tuesday, May 05, 2015

throuch gean flourish
the weet  -
sterny  plainstanes




through cherry blossom
the rain  -
starry pavement

Monday, May 04, 2015

hauf-wey up
the cherry tree  --  snail
husnae leukit doon yit!




half-way up 
the cherry tree  -  snail
hasn't looked down yet!
bowsie bawdrons
losses agane
...speuggies hunker chirmin




fat cat
loses again
...sparrows sit singing

Saturday, May 02, 2015

craw dooks's breid
i the burn
...intincter




crow dips his bread
in the stream
...intincter
mouin butteries:
her quate leid
...the gean




uttering butterflies:
her silent language
...the rose
doverin lang  -
the tulips
this year




sleeping late  -
the tulips
this year
voar drames
in yalla:
daffins




spring dreams
in yellow:
daffodils

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

mey brides
wi thair bobs
...gean treen




may brides
with their bouquets
...cherry trees

Sunday, April 26, 2015

a vause
o wullflooers
lichtenin the kirk



a vase
of wildflowers
brightening the church

Friday, April 24, 2015

burds gaitherin
ryss an strae  -
athort perks a babbie greits




birds gathering
twig and straw  -
across fields a baby cries

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

hern grippit
i the wample
o the minnons




heron rapt
in the wriggle
of the minnows
a guiss fedder
scrievin
on the wund




a goose feather
writing
on the wind

Friday, April 17, 2015

govein up it
the blue-bonnet
moose shoort wi shalls




gazing up at
the blue tit
mouse showered with shells
it the shrine a moose  -
aiblins incaain
...whae kens




at the shrine a mouse  -
perhaps praying
...who knows
keek o day
whin
on the brae




sunrise
gorse
on the hill
suddent
the pish-the-bed batch...
thair stobbie herrcuts




suddenly
the dandelion gang...
their spiky haircuts

Sunday, April 12, 2015

the licht's
on agane
i the magnolia




the light's
on again
in the magnolia

Friday, April 10, 2015

the cailleach chitters  -
i the ingle
an attercap's wab




the old lady shivers  -
in the hearth
a spider's web

Thursday, April 09, 2015

in a clair puil
bebbles hove up
frae sumhin unsein




in a clear pool
bubbles rise
from something unseen

Wednesday, April 08, 2015

cancer, canker  -
gye sib
the bodach an's aipple tree




cancer, canker  -
very alike
the old man and his apple tree

Tuesday, April 07, 2015

fou muin  -
a'm stertilt
bi ma sheddae




full moon  -
i'm startled
by my shadow
in perfit quate
a singul daffin
lichtens the day




in utter silence
a single daffodil
brightens the day

Sunday, April 05, 2015

fou muin --
daffins
skew thair heids





full moon  -
daffodils
turn their heads

Thursday, April 02, 2015

the jylt banker's hoose  -
i the winnock
a bairn's abacus




the jailed banker's house  -
in the window
a child's abacus

Wednesday, April 01, 2015

throuch stainit gless
the sin  -
worshipers o ilka colour




through stained glass
the sun  -
worshipers of every colour
weedower  -
in's waddin reeng
Pace caunles blinter




widower  -
in his wedding ring
Easter candles flicker

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

yin haun he quat
in Helmand  -  wi the
ither he gaithers dowts




one hand he left
in Helmand  -  with the
other he gathers fag-ends

hurkle-bane surgery  -
on the wa
Degas' ballerinas




hip replacement surgery  -
on the wall
Degas' ballerinas
Swan Lake  -
she snuves athort
the widden watter




Swan Lake  -
she glides across
the wooden water
i the gairden
faither an bleckie
colloguin




in the garden
father and blackbird
talking

Thursday, March 19, 2015

dumpin's baw
heich the err
...day o an eclipse




kicking his ball
high in the air
...day of an eclipse

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

voar mornin  -
twa gowden retrievers
stoor towarts the sin




spring morning  -
two golden retrievers
race towards the sun

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

daffins
bress baund  -
voar concert




daffodils
brass band  -
spring concert

Monday, March 16, 2015

ilka year aye
sterts wi a riddie  -
gean flourish




every year still
starts with a blush  -
cherry blossom
auld kipple
skin an bane
...hoose o attercaps




old couple
skin and bone
...house of spiders

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

we aw win awa
frae the lairside  -
aw bit a hingin gled




we all leave
the graveside  -
all but a hanging hawk

Monday, March 09, 2015

tuim gardevine  -
i the snawdraps the broozilt
ootline o luvers




empty wine-bottle  -
in the snowdrops the crushed
outline of lovers

Saturday, March 07, 2015

herrcut  -
a laddie
hauds forrit




haircut  -
a boy
steps forth

Friday, March 06, 2015

babbie apens an ee
a glisk a lift
whaur twa doos flee




baby opens an eye
I see a sky
where two pigeons fly
fou muin  -
a hameless chiel's ashet
slaikit clean




full moon  -
a homeless man's plate
licked clean

Wednesday, March 04, 2015

wund throuch
the refugee camp  -
orchestrae o banes




wind through
the refugee camp  -
orchestra of bones
fooneral Mass -
in the bicker
a deid flee




funeral Mass -
in the chalice
a dead fly

Monday, March 02, 2015

blue bonnets
yammer an taisle  -
time tae hing the nest-box




blue tits
chatter an tease  -
time to hang the nest-box

Sunday, March 01, 2015

the pipies
new bairn  -
reid plufft chafts




the piper's
new baby  -
red puffed cheeks

Thursday, February 26, 2015

mageecian bairn
apens a fan o deuks
at'r feet




magician child
opens a fan of ducks
at her feet

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

fou o tears
the ingan
an me




full of tears
the onion
and I

Thursday, February 19, 2015

voar sinsheen
the maple's brainches skimmer  -
auld banes wairmin




spring sunshine
the maple's branches glitter  -
old bones warming

Sunday, February 15, 2015

her peerie mappie
sclims the wa  -
babbie's fingers i the sin




her little rabbit
climbs the wall  -
baby's fingers in the sun

Thursday, February 12, 2015

sin-worshippers'
weir-daunce
...midges




sun-worshippers'
war-dance
...midges

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

furrin lassie
her suddron puir...
lip-reengs,tung-studs




foreign girl
her english poor...
lip-rings,tongue-studs

Saturday, February 07, 2015

throuch the kirkyaird's
wutherins
a reid spat o life...rab




through the churchyard's
witherings
a red spot of life...robin

Thursday, February 05, 2015

fykie bairn
ye hae nivver seen
hungert een
or bouks licht as licht




fussy child
you've never seen
hungry eyes
or bodies light as light

Wednesday, February 04, 2015

the cailleach's
poke o crottles pluffs
intae a stramash o maws




the old lady's
bag of crumbs explodes
into a chaos of gulls

Friday, January 30, 2015

butterie
yin flutherin
page...




butterfly
one fluttering
page...
fir aw oor genocide
life aye forgies us
...snawdraps




for all our genocide
life still forgives us
...snowdrops




Tuesday, January 27, 2015

auschwitz day  -
caunles...
puils o tallie




auschwitz day  -
candles...
pools of tallow

Sunday, January 25, 2015

piece time  -
amang the dorbie's graith
Reid Rab




lunch time  -
amongst the mason's tools
a robin

Thursday, January 22, 2015

hern yirthin
untaiglin frae the
parrychute o's sel




heron landing
untangling from the
parachute of himsel

Monday, January 19, 2015

 i the lairside vause
anely
flooers o freest




in the graveside vase
only
flowers of frost

Saturday, January 17, 2015

fower rinners
stour fir the line
...attercap's  trams threshin




four runners
race for the line
...spider's legs thrashing

Friday, January 16, 2015

muin i the winnock  -
the bairn groozles
balancin't on'r tae




moon in the window  -
the baby gurgles
balancing it on her toe

Sunday, January 04, 2015

on the fitpad
a gowdfush  -
gawpin at it aw




on the footpath
a goldfish  -
open-mouthed at it all

Saturday, January 03, 2015

haingles blues   -
stertin tae laith
the cuckoo-clock




flu blues  -
starting to hate
the cuckoo-clock