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