ceilidh  -
on siller streengs
attercap polkas




barn dance  -
on silver strings
spider polkas

hairst leaves:
wunter midden bree  -
ruits bidin thair retour




autumn leaves:
winter mulch  -
roots await their return

fou muin  -
yirth
claucht in'ts heidlichts




full moon  -
earth
caught in its headlights

(Mainichi daily news)

waukrife
...ettlin tae pit ower
her drame leid




sleepless
...trying to translate
her dream language

efter the blowster
the sea souchin
it ma feet




after the storm
the sea sighing
at my feet

crescent muin  -
bygane cluds
garrin it smirk




crescent moon  -
passing clouds
making it smile

Yule e'en  -
a hameless an's dug
wairmer ilk ither




Christmas eve  -
a homeless and his dog
warming each other

she dovers
unner a crescent muin  -
Yule roon the cunyie




she sleeps
under a crescent moon  -
Christmas round the corner

kinetic airt...
fleggin
the burds




kinetic art...
frightening
the birds

Aleppo
whaur'r yer flooers
...bobs fir the deid




Aleppo
where are your flowers
...bunches for the dead

maws skirl
ower brock  -
reid rab hunkers in's brawness




gulls shriek
over scraps  -
a robin sits in his elegance

Yule lichts
turnt on  -
here, rodden berries hing




Christmas lights
switched on  -
here, rowan berries hang

craws
an a reuk  -
sican ill-colourt day




crows
and a rook  -
such a colourless day

arthritis  -
she sneds the tae-nails
he cannae rax tae




arthritis  -
she cuts the toe-nails
he can't reach

geese win awa  -
deuks soom
makkin thair ain v's




geese leave  -
ducks swim
creating their own v's

dawin
reid rab
...peerie sperk




dawn
a robin
...little spark

Yule caird
frae the Haly Lan  -
thay hae colourt the snaw reid




Christmas card
from the Holy Land  -
they've coloured the snow red

danderin awa
frae yit anither
crematorium




walking away
from yet another
crematorium

quattin the kirk  -
a sea
o fite heids




leaving church  -
a sea
of white heads

snaggit
on the pikit weir
woo'n wund




snagged
on the barbed-wire
wool and wind

wran keeks oot
frae the rowan berries
...her dreidlock beads




wren peeps out
from the rowan berries
...her dreadlock beads

i the burn's derk
keekin-gless
derker sheddaes




in the stream's
dark mirror
darker shadows

sin
ahint the birk
...bonnie brooch




sun
behind the birch
...beautiful brooch

guitar
fleetin on the burn
watter maisic




guitar
floating on the stream
water music

anither burthday  -
granbairn
blaws oot the caunles fir me




another birthday  -
grandchild
blows out the candles for me

fush mercat argie-bargie  -
maw juist gants
it it aw




fish market haggling  -
gull just yawns
at it all

granfaither's hoose  -
teirin wa'paper
findin an antrin leid




grandfather's house  -
stripping wallpaper
finding a strange language

freesty mornin  -
skwurrel
blaws on's fingers




frosty morning  -
squirrel
blows on his fingers

souch throuch
the abbey ruinage
...chauntin




breeze through
the abbey ruins
...chanting

auld bull meditatin  -
sin
on's pisle




old bull meditating  -
sun
on his lingam

armistice day  -
leaves fawin
i thair millions




armistice day  -
leaves falling
in their millions

fift o november  -
ghastie nebs fleet
abuin the sperklers




fIfth of november  -
spooky faces float
above the sparklers

a deid bawdrons

amang the leaves

...curlt up

a dead cat

among the leaves

...curled up

muinlicht
flegs me
wi ma sheddae




moonlight
frightens me
with my shadow

hameless
rawin fir farin
...a craw Jynes thaim




homeless
queuing for food
...a crow joins them

hallae e'en  -
rackets smuir oot
the sterns




halloween  -
fireworks blot out
the stars

i the burn
the monie-colourt clints
o hairst




in the stream
the multicoloured rocks
of autumn

on the boolin green
craws'r stoorin efter
a maw




on the bowling green
crows are chasing
a gull

hairst  -
leaves
coalie-back on the wund




autumn  -
leaves
piggy-back on the wind

on a cloody day
yin straik o blae
...kingfisher




on a cloudy day
one streak of blue
...kingfisher

weet thrabs
on the chackert plainstanes
...faw'n leaves




rain beats
on the chequered pavement
...fallen leaves

on the weet causey  -
a wirm
streekin randy lik




on the wet street  -
a worm
stretching sexily

bomb site
...aye
the croonin flees




bomb site
...always
the singing flies

Aleppo clappit  -
ma neebour
girns ower a bummer steeng




Aleppo flattened  -
my neighbour whines
over a bee sting

hallae e'en  -
pumpkin bree the day
pumpkin bree the morn




halloween  -
pumpkin soup today
pumpkin soup tomorrow

weet  -
bummer howffin i
the fuchsia's bouet




rain  -
bee sheltering in
the fuchsia's lantern

babbie's furst staps  -
skwurrel's tentie
bobbin on a bled-bridth




baby's first steps  -
squirrel watches
rocking on a knife-edge

muin
i the winnock
...baith o's dwynin




moon
in the window
...both of us waning

weemen-fowk skirlin  -
bawdrons amangst thair legs
...silky fur




ladies squealing  -
cat amongst their legs
...silky fur

bawdrons
an the abbot
...juist fund ilk ither yin day




cat
and the abbot
...just found each other one day

hairst dander  -
the creck
o faw'n conkers




autumn stroll  -
the crack
of fallen chestnuts

ceetie o stane  -
its dorbies gane langsyne
...gane frae stoor tae stoor




city of stone  -
its masons gone long since
...gone from dust to dust

altar laddie  -
neist tae the caunle
his fissog blinters




altar boy  -
next to the candle
his face flickers

hairst  -
the maukie
juist gies up




autumn  -
the bluebottle
just gives up

a furst reid rab
touselt  -
as efter a lang sloum




a first robin
dishevelled  -
as after a long sleep

she raxes
fir an aipple
...the yin narest the muin




she reaches
for an apple
...the one nearest the moon

muin leukin
... sookin
a pandrap




moon gazing
...sucking
a pandrop

Indian simmer  -
bummers hae sookit
ma pen dry




Indian summer  -
bees have sucked
my pen dry

hunkerin
aneath the buddleia
...pairt o the dirrin queir




sitting
beneath the buddleia
...part of the humming choir

,...wi een
as tho aboot tae greit:
dormoose




...with eyes
as though about to cry:
dormouse

cluds jeegsawin
roon the muin
...kelterin wi a koan




clouds jigsawing
round the moon
...struggling with a koan

a lane tree
i the backlands
...burds chirmin juist as doucely




a lone tree
in the ghetto
...birds singing just as sweetly

sweet peas
sclimin
the jyle palin




sweet peas
climbing
the prison fence

i the doctor's surgery
a paulm tree
...deein




in the doctor's surgery
a palm tree
...dying

creepin eevy
whalms the gairden
...its begowkin flooer




morning glory
engulfs the garden
...its beguiling flower

rottan saunts
throuch a bore i the palin
...it's tail taks langer




rat disappears
through a hole in the fence
...it's tail takes longer

fou o life  -
thrissildoon
on the souch




full of life  -
thistledown
on the breeze

hairst souch  -
anither year bygaun
...runkles on the burn




autumn breeze  -
another year passing by
...wrinkles on the stream

whit's yir eerant
waggitie
...rinnin mangst ma feet




what's your message
wagtail
...running amongst my feet

aneath the aipple tree
skailt
cider tinnies




beneath the apple tree
scattered
cider cans

hairst  -
a furst leaf
creengin




autumn  -
a first leaf
cringing

a hearse staps
tae lat me corss  -
charon smirks it me






a hearse stops
to let me cross  -
charon smiles at me

flee droonin
i ma bicker
...ambulance siren!




fly drowning
in my tea-cup
...ambulance siren!

sinlicht
on the leaves
...weein naethin




sunlight
on the leaves
...weighing nothing

back tae schuil  -
blaebells
i the playgrun




back to school  -
bluebells
in the playground

craw jooks  -
plane seeds
helicopterin doon




crow ducks  -
sycamore seeds
helicoptering down

festival  -
a fou muin
claucht amang the rackets




festival  -
a full moon
caught among the fireworks

bummer heids hame
his hinny creels
fou




bee heads home
his pollen baskets
full

bummer bidein fir
the mornin glore tae apen
...auld drouthy




bee waiting for
the morning glory to open
...old wino

fou agane  -
his omelette
fou o eggshalls




drunk again  -
his omelette
full of eggshells

dorbies croon
as the wa hoves
....Ray Charles it the pianny




stone-masons sing
as the wall rises
...Ray Charles at the piano

craw's stabbit
a straeberry
...cloun's reid neb




crow's spiked
a strawberry
...clown's red nose

abuin the tennis coort
a fun muin
...hingin




above the tennis court
a full moon
...hanging

lowsin the bummer  -
his panshite
cuilin ma haun




freeing the bee -
his panic
cooling my hand

treen mak a
derk dub o the burn
...cluds ower the ceetie




trees make a
dark pool of the stream
...clouds over the city

dung doon larach  -
a buddleia
sic douceness frae ruinage




derelict site  -
a buddleia
...such sweetness from ruins

treen merkit wi an X  -
neist year
nae freenly shed




trees marked with an X  -
next year
no friendly shade

craw risps
an edge tae the mornin  -
the jakie glowers




crow rasps
an edge to the morning  -
the wino glares

drauchts
throuch the auld hoose  -
ghaists appenin doors  




drafts
through the old house  -
ghosts opening doors

a reid tash spreidin  -
his drapt jaur
o ladylanders




a red stain spreading  -
his dropped jar
of ladybirds

they pynt tae a stern:
her deid dug  -
whilk stern wull they pick fir me?




they point to a star:
her dead dog  -
which star will they choose for me?

auld tarry-breeks
in's shooglin cherr
myndin the ocean




old sailor
in his rocking chair
remembering the ocean

days o weet  -
snail-pooer
on the muive




days of rain  -
snail-power
on the move

youthie craw
greitin fir mait  -
reid o's craig




young crow
crying for food  -
red of his throat

hauflins
pluffin thayr e-fags
...here be draigons!




youths
puffing their e-cigarettes
...here be dragons!

jyner's fooneral  -
a life cleedin timmer
the day timmer cleeds him




joiner's funeral  -
a life dressing timber
today timber dresses him

nebbin a stieve souch
they aye heeld forrit
...weir memorial




facing a stiff breeze
they still lean forward
...war memorial

in french perks
thrissels growe
...seeds frae hame




in french fields
thistles grow
...seeds from home

(THE SOMME 100 YEARS ON)

eenin dander  -
soond o
runchin snails




evening stroll  -
sound of
crunching snails

nems aye thair
on the tree  -
the hert swallin




initials still there
on the tree  -
the heart swelling

schuil sports-day  -
the swith o fuit
ootrinnin the weet




school sports-day  -
the fleet of foot
outrunning the rain

faither's day  -
yin hunkers on the plainstanes
weet fouin's Tassie




father's day  -
one sits on the pavement
rain filling his cup

bygaun the  winnock
a fou muin peeps in
...smirkin




passing the window
a full moon peers in
...smiling

slidderin athort
the ice-rink winnock  -
snail




sliding across
the ice-rink window  -
snail

happin'm in's
Kirstenin mantie
...cumulus cluds




wrapping him
in his Christening shawl
...cumulus clouds

juist anither fursday  -
weet stapt, burds chirmin,
a life-hauder turnt aff




just another thursday  -
rain stopped, birds singing,
a life-support switched off

oot frae a snawy perk
a hauflin
...baird trim




out from a snowy field
a youth
...beard trim

sic dafferie!
sic sport!
...bluid on the causey




such fun!
such sport!
...blood on the street


(Euro 2016)

ettlin tae cleek
the bairnie
...efter a butterie




trying to catch
the toddler
...chasing a butterfly

on the bink
a babbie's dummy  -
roon the bink fag-ens




on the bench
a baby's pacifier  -
round the bench cigarette-ends

mercat day
generations bairge  -
grandad's wheelchair, babbie's pram




market day
generations collide  -
grandad's wheelchair, baby's pram

the brewery lum's reek
sweys
druckenly




the brewery chimney's smoke
sways
drunkenly

the down's syndrome laddie
gaups
it the bodach's bool fit




the down's syndrome boy
stares
at the old man's club foot

a cailleach cried Mary
her bairn streekit on'r laup
...weir memorial




an old lady called Mary
her child stretched on her lap
...war memorial

haiku stravaig  -
the  suddent comma
o a deid moose's tail



ginko  -
the sudden comma
of a dead mouse's tail

they rair'n cheer
the militar err shaw  -
naebodie taks tent o the crans




they roar and cheer
the military air show  -
nobody notices the swifts

a raw o nursery bairns
geeglin
it a raw o deuklins




a line of nursery children
giggling
at a line of ducklings

ablow
the gean tree
a pink-spreckelt craw




below
the cherry tree
a pink-speckled crow

lanely laddie  -
his threepins
carriet on the wund




lonely boy  -
his conversations
carried on the wind

on the burn  -
a traffic jam
o gean floorish




on the stream  -
a traffic jam
of cherry blossom

choir practeese
a smidgin aff-key  -
the blin lassie's dug leuks up




choir practice
a little off-key  -
the blind girl's dog looks up

voar tirl  -
gean flourish's
glamouris cairpet




spring breeze  -
cherry blossom's
magic carpet

graith an burds
skirlin  -
snowk o upturnt yirth




machines and birds
screeching  -
smell of upturned earth

babbie mappie  -
in's baggit een...
the warl




baby rabbit  -
in his bulging eyes...
the world

daffins
wizzent heids bou'd  -
anither voar sert




daffodils
shrunken heads bowed  -
another spring served

furst deuklins
zigzaggin  -
the runt's wud peddlin




first ducklings
zigzagging  -
the runt's frantic pedaling

peerie aipple tree
raxin tae beir  fruit  -
och! the makar's life




little apple tree
struggling to bear fruit  -
ah! the poet's life

hoose o the deid bairn  -
sumyin's left
a cheen o gowns




house of the dead child  -
someone's left
a daisy-chain

votin day  -
speuggies scash
it the burdbrod




election day  -
sparrows squabble
at the birdtable

sin
on the daffin perks  -
samen sin
on the perks o slauchter




sun
on the playing fields  -
same sun
on the killing fields

follaein snail's pad
maggie
cums deezie




following snail's trail
magpie
becomes dizzy

fou muin  -
aipple flourish
fite




full moon  -
apple blossom
white

snail's
siller runes  -
tells o muinlicht




snail's
silver runes  -
tales of moonlight

auld grewhoond
tentie o the mappies  -
his dowie een




old greyhound
watching the rabbits  -
his sad eyes

he feeds's fruit treen

bluid'n bane

...reid reid aipples

he feeds his fruit trees

blood and bone

...red red apples

hunkert it the door
o's hedge tenement  -
eenin speuggie




sitting at the door
of his hedge tenement  -
evening sparrow

tummlin
throuch the brainches  -
maggie the pierrot




tumbling
through the branches  -
magpie the pierrot

Pace paraud
throuch the daffins
...lichtit caunles




Easter procession
through the daffodils
...lighted candles

fou muin  -
daffins
muinglowe




full moon  -
daffodils
moonglow

throuch the derk wuid  -
daffins
lichtin a peth




through the dark wood  -
daffodils
lighting a path

bleckies
it houghmagandie  -
tulips git a reidie




blackbirds
mating  -
tulips start to blush

he flees amang cluds an aw  -
esscock
i the burn




he too flies among clouds  -
dipper
in the stream

fou muin  -
a new granbairn
sookin




full moon  -
a new grandchild
suckling

bi the lochside
swans gaither
...craigs threidin Celtic fankles




by the lochside
swans gather
...necks threading Celtic knots

bygaun thayr tuim hoose  -
her peerie pree
aye on the lozen




passing their empty house  -
her tiny kiss
still on the pane

voar buds
raxin throuch
...a granbairn aboot tae be




spring buds
pushing through
...a grandchild about to be

aw day fellin treen -
a nicht
o monie muins




all day felling trees  -
a night
of many moons

bumbazed  -
the Manhattan skyline
tackit tae the muin




amazed  -
the Manhattan skyline
tacked to the moon

bings o sawins
alang the watterside
...quait




piles of sawdust
along the riverside
...silence

foggies' kettle  -
the priest
wullnae gie ower croonin



pensioners' picnic  -
the priest
won't stop singing

fou lenten muin  -
efter the nicht
...festin




full lenten moon  -
after tonight
...fasting

neb tae the bowlie
she speers:
whit'r the gowdfush threepin?




nose to the bowl
she asks:
what are the goldfish saying?

i the ceetie's ruinage
a stoundin heart  -
speuggie




in the city's ruins
a beating heart  -
sparrow

feshin-in sinsheen
tae the chaumer  -
bowlie o dafffins




fetching-in sunshine
to the room  -
bowl of daffodils

furst snawfaw
i the gairden
blate snawdraps




first snowfall
in the garden
shy snowdrops

granny's shoogler
heich on the cairt
...fluidwatter




grandmother's rocking-chair
high on the cart
...floodwater

the weet's devault  -
nakit brainches skimmer
wi new flourish




the rain's stopped  -
naked branches shimmer
with new blossom

his auld dug's deid  -
flaes
aye invade the hoose




his old dog's dead  -
fleas
still invade the house

beikin'r hauns
it the ingle
...poinsettia




warming her hands
at the fireside
...poinsettia

the blin laddie  -
fowerty-year on aye
findin the truist in's haun



the blind boy  -
forty-years on still
feeling the trust in his hand

onding  -
ilk day the burn
fuspers a pickle looder





downpour  -
each day the stream
whispers a little louder

UNCOS: weir! weir!  -
ootby
a bleckie brustin wi sang




NEWS: war! war!  -
outside
a blackbird bursting with song

a michtie megiphone  -
snochers
frae the tub




a mighty megaphone  -
snores
from the bath

hogmanay bangers  -
in thair new hame refugee
bairns wauken skirlin




new year fireworks  -
in their new  home refugee
children waken screaming