athort

a Yule perk

fremmit fowk's goamins

across

a Chrismas park 

strangers' greetings

flee on the winnock

a faurawa airieplane  

...bairgin peth

fly on the window 

a distant aeroplane  

...collision path

wunter solstice  

a pearl remuved

days growein brichter

winter solstice  

a cataract removed

days growing brighter

wund  

raxin tae win awa

frae a blawn awa tent

wind  

struggling to be free

from a blown away tent

advent caunle  -

anither day

meltit awa

advent candle  -

another day

melted away

nae Yule pairty

fir him this year  -

a'm weirin's shuin

no Christmas party

for him this year  -

i'm wearing his shoes

on a kintra rod

the reid colour o daith

the bleck o craw

on a country road

the red colour of death

the black of crow

bygane geese  -

a trauchle-free

maument

geese pass  -

a trouble-free

moment

 listin drive  -

sodgers in fou cammyflage

roon the hamburger stand

recruitment drive  -

soldiers in full camouflage

round the hamburger stall

snail's tasht shall  -

sumwhaur

a bleckie chirms

snail's broken shell  -

somewhere

a blackbird sings

a day o yuisless thingums:

in the canaul, a

message-bag fou o watter

a day of useless things:

in the canal, a

shopping-bag full of water

the postie's 

fuitprents

bygaun ma yett

the postman's

footprints

past my gate

 the elements

recyclin

the auld recyclin plant

the elements

recycling

the old recycling plant

airly mornin  -

the cailleach stauns

it the bingo-ha door

early morning  -

the old lady stands

at the bingo-hall door

hunkered amang maw leid

the towrists

skail scran

sat amidst gull language

the tourists

scatter scraps

indian kintra  -

ah coff a crucifix

an twa arraheids

indian country  -

i buy a crucifix

and two arrowheads

watterside dauner

makars' busts  -

awbodie maits the swans

riverside walk

poets' busts  -

everybody feeds the swans

nautiloids

380,000000 year auld  

fir ma laddie's thirtieth

nautiloids

380,000000 years old

for my son's thirtieth

 the ceetie waukens:

the wino sooks a tinnie

a chiel pynts wi a pincil

the city wakens:

the wino sucks a can

a man points with a pencil

he skails trock fraes car

smirks it us  -

ah glisk a tuim space

he scatters car litter

smiles at us  -

i see an empty space

i the quate

the soond

o the eucharist brekkin

in the silence

the sound

of the eucharist breaking

 tree sculpture:

The Canaul Biggers  -

tree-trunk chists, tree-trunk airms

tree sculpture:

The Canal Builders  -

tree-trunk chests, tree-trunk arms

dour nod

tae the eildit jogger

...ah pech hamewart

reluctant nod

to the elderly jogger

...I puff homeward

slaw train

tae San Fransisco

Kerouac...Kerouac...Kerouac

slow train

to San Fransisco

Kerouac...Kerouac...Kerouac

he sains the cot   -

the caunle's lowe heelds awa

as though a draucht

he blesses the crib  -

the candle's flame leans awa

as though a draught

beads throuch the fingers

hailness in ilka maument  -

SMILE! dour-nebbed wifie

beads through the fingers

completeness in each moment  -

SMILE! grim-faced lady

the sea's swall,

a faurawa pipe  -  she speirs

the time...hou tae repone?

the sea's swell,

a faraway flute  -  she asks

the time...how to answer?

murther an dirdum

blinters on's neb  -

peerie weir-gemmes sodger

murder and mayhem

flicker on his face  -

little war-games soldier

brennin leaves  -

reek daidlin

amang the brainches 

burning leaves  -

smoke lingering

among the branches

wunter wedder  -

staunin it the winnock

...ma ain snawglobe

winter weather   -

standing at the window

...my own snowglobe

snell mornin  -

it Mass, hunkert

bi the votive caunles

cold morning  -

at Mass, sitting

by the votive candles