tooter
teuk his braith awa
...wrocht blues
trumpet
took his breath away
...made blues
efter the flude
bowders heeligoleerie
...watter's runes
after the flood
boulders in confusion
...river's runes
granson skairs ma bed
shilpit airms'n legs taigle
...a dwam o attercaps
grandson shares my bed
skinny arms and legs tangle
...I dream of spiders
auld sodger -
sin sheen's frae's medals
...blindin
old soldier -
sun shines from his medals
...blinding
keek o day -
on the brae
bricht bouets o brume
sunrise -
on the hillside
bright lanterns of broom
peerie snail
chairtin'ts
jurney
tiny snail
mapping out
its journey
deuklins ettlin tae
sclim the sliddery brae
...lik aw youthlins
ducklings trying to
climb the slippery slope
...like all youngsters
swan's nest -
yin egg
growein cauld
one egg
growing cold
voar's
racket funtains
gean trees
spring's
firework fountains
cherry trees
abandont tank -
in an oot o the barrel
speuggies
abandoned tank -
in and out of the barrel
sparrows
Ukraine -
she maits'r chookies
amang brent-oot tanks
she feeds her chickens
among burnt-out tanks
wund 'n' cluds -
swaws o licht
ower the daffins
wind and clouds -
waves of light
over the daffodils
aw alang the brainch
the sin's licht
birslin the speuggie's feet
all along the branch
the sun's light
warming the sparrow's feet
hou neebourly -
her magnolia petals
cleid ma lawn
how neighbourly -
dress my lawn
freithin flourish -
gean tree's
Pace bunnet
frothing blossom -
cherry tree's
Easter bonnet
blue bonnets daff i the sinsheen -
sheddaes flit
athort the chaumer
blue tits play in the sunshine -
shadows dart
across the room
maggies dump throuch
the swans' nest
...stormtroops
magpies kick through
on a bricht blae burn
swans snuve
pontifical lik
on a bright blue stream
swans glide
pontifically
voar flooers i the derk yirth
bidin fir the aw-clear
spring flowers in the dark earth
awaiting the all-clear
hinnymuin boatie
rescuin kestawas
we poued thegither
honeymoon boat
rescuing castaways
we pulled together
( For Ann)
lichtnin
on the derk burn
stertilt swans
lightning
on the dark stream
startled swans
wund - blawin myndins
throuch
this ayebydand kythin
wind - blowing memories
through
this eternal presence
wunter mornin -
a freen's caw
i the set o's braith
winter morning -
a friend's greeting
in the shape of his breath
sin blinters
throuch the sparred palin -
the warl's a cairtoon
sun flickers
through the slatted fence -
the world's a cartoon
a hinmaist dander
wi's auld gundug
...the ferrier bydes
a last walk
with his old gundog
...the vet waits
shooers o leaves -
bleckie blooters throuch
tae voar growthe
showers of leaves -
blackbird kicks through
to spring growth
they bide till a haud by -
syne ma neebours gae
intil the mait baunk
they wait until I pass -
then my neighbours
enter the food bank
saft souch -
a clud
fleets doonstream
soft breeze -
a cloud
floats downstream
eesock
stottin on a clint
graithin himsel fir the plype
dipper
bouncing on a rock
psyching himself for the plunge
heron goves
intae's refleckshun
...fush soom throuch's heid
heron gazes
into his reflection
...fish swim through his head
covid blues -
she croons a wurdless sang
on a weet blashie day
she sings a wordless song
on a wet rainy day
apenin the hingers
tod hunkers
govein it the muin
opening the curtains
fox sits
staring at the moon
aw day fouin mait paircels -
she lints
maitin the swans
all day filling food parcels -
she relaxes
feeding the swans
on the cafe brod heid
forgat
a snorlie hankie
on the cafe table
forgotten
a knotted handkerchief
oot frae unner
a hap o snaw
...voar
out from under
a blanket of snow
...spring
Jerusalem haddie's
azure flicht
...glorifeein the aircher
kingfisher's
azure flight
...glorifying the archer
am aye weirin
her loom band -
a hecht's a hecht
i'm still wearing
a promise is a promise
a santa bunnet
trampit i the snaw
...fremmit sodgers
a santa hat
trampled in the snow
...foreign soldiers
watter's souchs an grueins -
deuk quaich guis honk
an hern's seelent spear
river's tones and terrors -
duck quack goose honk
and heron's silent spear