Yule  -
sae monie bubbly-jocks
fellt




Christmas  -
so many turkeys
slaughtered

lichtin caunles  -
she cannae mynd
whae fir




lighting candles  -
she can't remember
who for

swan paunders by...
no tae faise
hern's meditation




swan drifts by...
not to disturb
heron's meditation

Yule  -
on the fir tree blinterin
blue-bunnets




Christmas  -
on the fir tree
flickering blue-tits

Reid Rab
poses on a sprot
...i the winnock, a selfie




the robin
poses on a twig
...in the window, a selfie

tentie o the swans  -
hern
pouin hissel thegither




watching the swans  -
heron
pulling himself together

the caunle
an the fluit
...dervish lowe




the candle
and the flute
...dervish flame

hameless  -
the muin an sterns
his Yule whigmaleeries




homeless  -
the moon and stars
his Christmas baubles

amang stooriein feet
willie-wagtail
...peerie harlequin




amongst rushing feet
wagtail
...little harlequin

yondermaist
the peeriest swans
...flauchts o snaw




in the distance
the tiniest swans
...flakes of snow

burnie-becker  -
in'n oot in'n oot
steekin's wye upstream





dipper  -
in and out in and out
stitching his way upstream

abuin the lums
muin heizes forfochen lik
...anither nicht-yokin




above the chimneys
moon rises wearily
...another night-shift

dayset  -
pink maws
scud an dook




sunset  -
pink gulls
glide and swoop

a bing o leaves  -
licht sheens
frae the monie cheeks




a pile of leaves  -
light shines
from the many facets

in the perk
mynd fou o thochts
a peerie bleck dug rins throuch




in the park
mind full of thoughts
a little black dog runs through

died doo  -
fedders drift
amang the faw'n leaves




dead pigeon  -
feathers drift
among the fallen leaves

hunkert
bi'r carebed
hairst dowes intae wunter




sitting
by her sick bed
autumn slides into winter

fite freest  -
anither year
aulder




white frost  -
another year
older

an on-ding  -
on the plainstanes
an umberellae stramash




heavy rain  -
on the pavement
umbrella collisions

hunkerin
in a sinblink
...space trevellers




sitting
in a sunbeam
...space travellers

maws soom
wi the swans
...an drame




gulls swim
with the swans
...and dream

leaves
croodilt in a neuk  -
soond o thayr chitterin




leaves
huddled in a corner  -
sound of their shivering

craw's tentie
o swan preenin
...sterts preenin




crow watches
swan preening
...starts preening

on the new palin
a furst fetter-lock  -
an F an L snibbit in luve




on the new fence
a first padlock  -
an F and L locked in love

inby the tree's skellet
a stoundin heart  -
speuggie




inside the tree's skeleton
a beating heart  -
sparrow

swans  -
pace an brawness
wrocht frae fedders




swans  -
peace and elegance
made from feathers

swans  -
he fuspers in'r lug
she hysts'r fan




swans  -
he whispers in her ear
she raises her fan

her furst
schuil photy  -
the amissin tuith




her first
school photo  -
the missing tooth

dawin  -
fusher an wabster
seein tae thayr nets




dawn  -
fisherman and spider
checking their nets

swans
sic mense  -  she on pynts,
he arabesque




swans
such elegance  -  she on points,
he arabesque

waasht ashore
a pumpkin heid
...its daithless smirk




washed ashore
a pumpkin head
...its deathless smile

fou muin
stottin
amang the hystin glesses




full moon
bouncing
amongst the raised glasses

hairst wunds  -
the maple stauns
in reid duds




autumn winds  -
the maple stands
in red rags

faw'n leaves  -
hou they lou
tae jouk his besom




fallen leaves  -
how they love
to dodge his broom

wi's guidwilly
umberellae
snail taks tae the rod




with his generous
umbrella
snail walks out

it the kist o whistles  -
he hauns hing
tae re- assemmle the quait




the organist  -
her hands poised
to re-arrange the silence

craws
sin on thayr backs:
a threitenin skimmer




crows
sun on their backs:
a menancing glitter

furst licht
tuscan haar heizes
...the meestery souchs oot




first light
tuscan mist rises
...the mystery exhales

hairst souch
strippin
the sauch




autumn breeze
stripping
the willow

(strip the willow: a lively Scottish dance)

throuch the jyle palin  -
brummles
foostin awa



through the prison fence  -
brambles
rotting away

hairst muin  -
fouin
bawdrons' saucer




harvest moon  -
filling
cat's saucer

the Angelus bell  -
the fairmer
healds on's howe




the Angelus bell  -
the farmer
leans on his hoe

the auld monk's back- stuil
fou
o sinlicht




the old monk's chair
full
of sunlight

throuch the stainit-gless:
licht in a coat
o monie colours




through the stained-glass:
light in a coat
of many colours

on keltert perks
yowes clype
...we coff a fridge magnet




on tilted fields
sheep cling
...we buy a fridge mangnet

efter
meditation oor:
midgie bumps





after
meditation hour:
mosquito lumps

hairst gairdens  -
wuidreek heizes
...chynes o a sweein censer




autumnal gardens  -
woodsmoke rises
...chains of a swaying censer

on the causey
a drapt plectrum  -
croonin frae the treen




on the street
a dropped plectrum  -
singing from the trees

a stoorin moose
a lowpin puddock:
leaf'n wund daffin




a scuttling mouse
a leaping frog:
leaf and wind at play

blae  -
the dowieness
o bowlt streengs




blue  -
the melancholy
of bent strings

pouin rasps
...granfaither's
hungower een




picking raspberries
...grandfather's
hungover eyes

a singul leaf
reelin doon
...day o the yirdin




a single leaf
spiralling down
...day of the funeral

baurley
sheenin gowd
baird o a wince yin




barley
burnished gold
beard of a sage

burnie-becker  -
yin braith syne aff
fleein unnerwatter




dipper  -
one breath then off
flying underwater

mornin incaains

it the shrine

...skwurrel

morning prayers

at the shrine

...squirrel

skirlin o brakes  -
speuggies waashin
in a powie




screeching of brakes  -
sparrows bathing
in a pothole

dramein
in dubs:
the sinflooers




dreaming
in puddles:
the sunflowers

a cran
kittles the peerie dug:
fite scart on the girss




a swift
teases the little dog:
white scribble on the grass

thayr bairn's
hame-wrocht mobile:
streeng'n yill cans




their baby's
home-made mobile:
string and beer cans

hairst  -
a furst
chitter




autumn  -
a first
shiver

hingin
humminburd
haudin ma braith




hanging
hummingbird
holding my breath

rodden tree
biggin yir berries  -
nivver oot o contract




rowan tree
building your berries  -
never out of contract

fou muin  -
snail's trails
...sic embroidery




full moon  -
snail's trails
...such embroidery

a troot lowpin
a ploom fawin
...day o wunners!




a trout leaping
a plum falling
...day of wonders!

yorlin
its fedders fuffelt
...caunle i the wund




yellowhammer
its feathers ruffled
...candle in the wind

i the wee-oors
on the uisual clint
...hern cleedin hissel




early morning
on the usual rock
...heron dressing himself

furst day it schuil
she shaws'r tint tuith
...cums thayr hero




first day at school
she shows her missing tooth
...becomes their hero

i the burn's
derk keekin-gless
...dernt thingums




in the stream's
dark mirror
...hidden things

corsin the brig  -
a suddent blae thocht:
keeng's fisher




crossing the bridge  -
a sudden blue thought:
kingfisher

an auld fere
pauchlin alang  -
a ettle'n ettle tae owerhy...




an old friend
shuffling along  --
I try and try to catch up...

interruptin
the collogue  -
skwurrel on'r phone line




interrupting
the conversation  -  squirrel
on her telephone line

douche drames  -
snail doverin
inby the straeberry




sweet dreams  -
slug asleep
inside the strawberry

ragtime pianny  -
i the gairden
a maggie haps




ragtime piano  -
in the garden
a magpie hops

bi the
the neb-pentin tent
a peacock butterie



by the
the face-painting tent
a peacock butterfly

poacher's bothy  -
i the muinlit winnock
a saumon skimmers




poacher's cottage  -
in the moonlit window
a salmon glitters

ootby the
REHABILITATION DEPT.
a hippity craw




outside the
REHABILITATION DEPT.
a crippled crow

quat on the porch
the ukulele
plays itsel




left on the porch
the ukulele
plays itself

sparks fawin
intae the sea
...wheel o burth'n daith




raindrops falling
into the sea
...wheel of birth and death

daein a jeegsaw
thegither  -
cluds'n me




doing a jigsaw
together  -
clouds and I

in aw
the hingin sparks
the yin sin




in all
the hanging raindrops
the one sun

on the waashin rope
speuggies
shooglin thirsels dry




on the washing line
sparrows
shaking themselves dry

a thochtie phone caw  -
ettlin tae mak
faither youthie  agane




a worried phone call  -
trying to make
father young again

thristles  -
pittin on
thayr purpie bunnets




thistles  -
putting on
their purple bonnets

hauf doverin
bi the watterside  -
furst cluds, syne swans, haud by




half asleep
on the riverbank  -
first clouds, then swans, pass by

the dung-doon site
a'ready a pictur
o wullflooers




the demolition site
already a picture
of wildflowers

a bleckie chirms  -
the mornin glories'r
aw lugs




a blackbird sings  -
the morning glories
are all ears

junkie  -
a mornin snowk
o champit sitherwid




junkie  -
a morning snort
of crushed southernwood

pilkin fruit  -
thayr hauns tig
clam wi luve




picking fruit  -
their hands touch
sticky with love

ceetie maws
doverin on the lum
...dramein o swaws?




city gulls
dozing on the chimney
...dreaming of waves?

swans
biggin thair nest
...a gemme o jaik straes




swans
 building their nest
...a game of jack straws

on a clinty strand
his priesthood endit  -
a hern skares's quate




on a rocky shore
his priesthood ended  -
a heron shares his silence

gala day  -
wellies it the door
pensils o lichtnin




gala day  -
wellingtons at the door
streamers of lightning

mawin the girss  -

bummers stoor fir

the hinmaist dod o sookie

mowing the lawn  -

bees race for

the last patch of clover

anither year
the circus retours
...crans




the yearly circus
returns
...swifts

doonpoor  -
the abbot's
rainbowe colourt umberellae




monsoon  -
the abbot's
rainbow coloured umbrella

athort the loch
the hoolet's skelloch
lippers




across the lake
the owl's cry
ripples

the dule
o fumeless
roses




the sadness
of perfumeless
roses

airlie mornin
rooster
...fairmyaird blues




early morning
cockerel
...farmyard blues

'the glorifeed twalt'  -
burds cross the lift
...fawin no fleein




'The glorious twelfth'  -
birds cross the sky
...falling not flying

roon the vause
faw'n petals
...colour o'r goonie




round the vase
fallen petals
...colour of her nightdress

the scholars
in bricht uniforms  -
the deuks in thayrs




the school children
in bright uniforms  -
the ducks in theirs

maw skirls
fleggin the speuggies
...terrorist!




gull screams
frightening the sparrows
...terrorist!

treen rax fir the sin  -
aw bit
narcissistic sauch




trees stretch for the sun  -
all but
narcissistic willow

fleein in a straucht line  -
butterie
in a stour





flying in a straight line  -
butterfly
in a hurry

bummers'n bairns  -
hou we lued
rid sookie




bees and children  -
how we loved
sucking red clover

bummer
struislin hame
wi secks o gowd




bee
struggling home
with sacks of gold

aumond flourish fawin  -
they rake fir't
in granfaither's herr




almond blossom falling  -
they search for it
in grandfather's hair

sweein
on the waashin rope
...a souch




swinging
on the washing line
...a breeze

whitsunday  -
poinsettia's
lowin tungs




Pentecost  -
poinsettia's
tongues of fire

flooer shaw jeedges  -
bummer
taks a close leuk




flower show judges  -
bee
takes a closer look

lair
o the makar
...schaird o peasie whin




grave
of the poet
...shard of granite

faur awa bomb blooter  -
here
a wab thirles




distant bomb blast  -
here
a web quivers

the bairn
skailin crisps
...follaed bi twa craws




the little boy
dropping crisps
...followed by two crows

dentist's chaumer  -
the cannie girn
o a fankilt flee




dentist's surgery  -
the steady whine
of a trapped fly

sneddin roses  -
fuchsia buds
....dreeps o bluid




pruning roses  -
fuchsia buds
...drips of blood

i the gairden:
gowans
constellations




in the garden:
daisies
constellations

a simmer mornin
egglin me
tae cleid it




a summer morning
urging me
to clothe it

muinlit sheddaes:
the ceetiescape
athort a hameless neb




moonlit shadows:
the cityscape
across a homeless face

tentie o the cluds
laid aff
tentie o the cluds




cloud watching
redundant
cloud watching

blowster o gean flourish  -
mavis
howks fir wirms




cherry blossom storm  -
thrush
digs for worms

scriever's clag  -
ma laddie gifts me a pen
...this yin




writer's block  -
my son gifts me a pen
...this one

thae wunter mornins
...apenin
yin ee




these winter mornings
...opening
one eye

a dauncin butterie
heizin
frae the fooneral wreath




a dancing butterfly
rising
from the funeral wreath

it the bus-stap:
a pish-the-bed seed baw
bides fir a souch




at the bus-stop:
a dandelion seed ball
waits for a breeze

takkin thayr photy  -
the daffins
skew tae leuk




photographing them  -
the daffodils
turn to look

restin...
the bodach
heelds agin the wund




resting...
the old man
leans against the wind

craw danders ahint
eemitatin
the bodach's hirple




crow walks behind
imitating
the old man's limp

voar  -
awgates
the meestery unfauldin




spring  -
everywhere
the mystery unfolding

gean flourish
...haudin
oor braith




cherry blossom
...holding
our breath

the bodach
learnin
tae dander




the old man
learning
to walk slowly

licht
o a hyne awa daffin
...keek o day




light
of a distant daffodil
...sunrise

up tae'r elbuck
in a wattergaw
she kittles the koi




up to her elbow
in a rainbow
she tickles the koi

St Paddy's day
doon wi the flu  - leastwise
 the watter's in a Guiness gless




St Patrick's day
down with the flu  -  at least
the water's in a Guiness glass

i the derk lift
sternbrusts...
nicht-shift walders




in the dark sky
starbursts...
night-shift welders

bodachs
daffin it the banes  -
knackin the day awa




old men
playing dominoes  -
clicking the day away

clachan tempel  -
fruit left fir the monks
fush banes fir bawdrons




village temple  -
fruit left for the monks
fish bones for cat

suddent stound -
ma laddie's photy
o an auld bodach




sudden shock  -
my son's photograph
of an old man

Buddha's gairden  -
fasht thochts caulmed
...koi




Buddha's garden  -
troubled thoughts calmed
...koi

frae stug
tae stug
the sin wins in tae the wuid




from stump
to stump
the sun enters the forest

throuch sweyin treen
spires o the college
...unyeldin




throu swaying trees
spires of the college
...unyielding

muinlicht
on the birkenshaw
...ghaistly gavotte




moonlight
on the birchwood
...ghostly gavotte

furst day o voar  -
lowsin the dug
he flinders ilka dub




first day of spring  -
freeing the dog
he splinters every puddle

voar bulbs
lichtin up
the gairden




spring bulbs
lighting up
the garden

eemigrant
phone haurd tae's lug
...tozie soonds o hame




immigrant
phone hard to his ear
...warm sounds of home

Valentine tryst   -
her smirk
...voar winin in




Valentine date   -
her smile
...spring approaching


(for Ann)

on the braetap
a deid stag
...brainches i the muinlicht




on the hilltop
a dead stag
...branches in the moonlight

saisons
waldit thegither
...geelt leaves




seasons
welded together
...frozen leaves

raxin frae
the biggin sicht's glaur:
daffins




struggling from
the building site's mud:
daffodils

amang the incaain flags
rab's
reid yin




among the prayer flags
the robin's
red one

snawdraps  -
blate
as ivver




snowdrops  -
shy
as ever

the burn wins tae me
an wins awa frae me:
it's tuim stance




the stream arrives at me
and leaves from me:
its empty terminus

nichtfaw  -
mang gothic brainches
craws drame




nightfall  -
among gothic branches
crows dream

twa deid craws  -
the hystit bicker
o thayr tuim nest




two dead crows  -
the raised chalice
of their empty nest

Auschwitz  -
they skift'n daunced
aw the wye here:
twa peerie reid shuin




Auschwitz  -
they skipped and danced
all the way here:
two tiny red shoes

(holocaust day)

prood in's new
shuitin trews  -
cleidit tae kill




proud in his new
shooting trousers  -
dressed to kill

faimily tae bide  -
the hoose
fou o peerie claes




family to stay  -
the house
full of tiny clothes

wunter sin  -
craw's skyrie
fedders




winter sun  -
crow's glittering
feathers

fuffs o freesty braith  -
the auld engine driver's
sonnets o stame




puffs of frosty breath  -
the old train driver's
tales of steam

ne'er day  -
a souch geegles
amang the 'deid men'




new year's day  -
a breeze giggles
amongst the empties

throuch the schuil palin
peerie sheenin nebs:
forsythia




through the school fence
tiny shining faces:
forsythia

daffins
upwreilin  -
voar on the mairch




daffodils
uprising  -
spring on the march

brakfast
knock knappin
...egg'n spuin race




breakfast
clock ticking
...egg and spoon race

fou muin
amang
the threwen snawbaws




full moon
amongst
the thrown snowballs

peerie fuffbaw
hert on'ts sleeve
...Reid Rab



liittle puffball
heart on its sleeve
...robin

alane
on a stane
hern ootgawks a broon coo




alone
on a stone
heron outstares a brown cow

myndin slides
 we wrocht wi tackety-buits
...schuil's juist no the samen




remembering slides
we made with tacketed boots
...school's just not the same

hogmanay  -
twa hameless daunce:
sowls in haun-me-doon boadies




new year's eve  -
two homeless dance:
souls in hand-me-down bodies

mornin speuggie
fouin
ma quate




morning sparrow
filling
my silence

ne'er's day  -
craw oor furst-fuit
...derk ootrel




new year's day  -
crow our first-foot
...dark stranger

muckle migration  -
it the sneckit mairches
thay're tentie o the geese




great migration  -
at the closed borders
they watch the geese