bourach o chords -
derk burds heave up
frae a nakit tree




cluster of chords -
dark birds rise
from a leafless tree

the train's sheddae
whinners ower thaim:
kintra bairns




the train's shadow
passes over them:
country children

weet poors -
amang the gean flourish
ink-bleck brainches




rain pours -
amongst the cherry blossom
ink-black branches

kirk replenishins -
throuch Easter incaains
hemmert stobs




church repairs -
through Easter devotions
driven nails

liftit aff
flee retours an retours
tae the wine-soggit brod




lifted off
fly returns and returns
to the wine-soaked table

peerie leafboat
the sea-maw's nebbitness
wracks it on the strand




little leafboat
the gull's inquisitiveness
wrecks it on the shore

nid noddin
...the haar's swallaed
the wuid




forty winks
...mist has swallowed
the forest

the hauf gane lassie
sits the bairn on her knap
they swey tae a lilt




the pregnant girl
sits the child on her bump
they sway to a rhythm

nordic voar
abuin the rittit snaw
yalla butteries blinter




nordic spring
above the rutted snow
yellow butterflies flicker

gled's stieve glower:
craw's deein
dinnles throuch'm




hawk's steady gaze:
crow's dying
tremors through him

hunkert on the kirb
a tike an me
govein at the wund




sitting on the kerb
a stray dog and I
watching the wind

i the muckle kirk
leams o licht
aw frae the yin sin



in the cathedral
shafts of light
all from the one sun

heids o barley
heeld this wey heeld yon -
a fusperin souch




heads of barley
lean this way lean that -
a whispering sigh

heids turn
she snuves alang
chowin a bricht green aipple




heads turn
she glides along
eating a bright green apple

in a rinnin burn
deuk stauns, her breist
alowe wi blinterins




in a running stream
duck stands, her breast
aflame with shimmerings

japanese gairden
peerie bairns
daff at hidie




japanese garden
tiny children
play hide-and-seek

in an auld pictur
the twin tooers aye staunin:
awbody at thair dasks




in an old movie
the twin towers still standing:
workers at their desks

autistic laddie
hauds's mither's haun ticht
she hauds the faither's




autistic boy
holds his mother's hand tightly
she holds the father's

jasmine flourish
maun hae left a smitch
butteries roon ma baird




jasmine blossom
must have left a trace
butterflies round my beard

his auld sark
waffin
fleggin the craws




his old shirt
waving
scaring the crows

raxin fir a simmit -
gean flourish
strinkilt wi snaw




reaching for a vest -
cherry blossom
sprinkled with snow

wesp -
sookin douceness
frae the gullie's bledd




wasp -
sucking sweetness
from the knife's blade

monday mornin -
the bodach coonts's bawbees
ootside the aff-licence




monday morning -
the old man counts his money
outside the off-licence

sidderwuid
runkilt atween fingers
...mindin




southernwood
crushed between fingers
...memories

wesps hae taen ower
the blue bonnets' nest-box
baudrons disnae ken




wasps have taken over
the tits' nest-box
cat doesn't know

gowk's day -
yin haffet scowdert
yin haffet davert




april 1st -
one cheek sunburnt
one cheek chilled

in the workie's skip,
amang the brock -
her baffies




in the builder's skip,
amongst the bricks and concrete -
her slippers

haudin by the jile
her fume
hings i the air




passing the prison
her perfume
drifts on the air

traivellin ower lang:
the snorlie treen
stert tae leuk unchancie




travelling too long:
the olive trees
begin to look threatening

frae the brig:
a deuk on ilka shouther
a troot sooms oot frae ma lug




from the bridge:
a duck on each shoulder
a trout swims out from my ear

oor luvin...
mellin wi the burdsang
at keek o day




our loving...
mixing
with the dawn chorus

turtles tummle'n sloosh
i the temple's dub -
monks gang by dourlie




turtles tumble and splash
in the temple's pond -
sombre monks pass by

hail watter
raindraps reboun
a new-biggit nest crines




monsoon rain
drops explode
a new-built nest shrinks

shifflin cairts:
the bodach
wi nae veesitors




shuffling cards:
the old man
with no visitors

bodachs
wi wee plastic pokes
sclimin hoaspital brae




little old men
with little plastic bags
climbing hospital hill

her cot fauldit
on the strand -
the souchin chingle




her coat folded
on the shore -
the sighing shingle

(for margaret)

he murlt ma haiku
agin the wa -
dreeps o ellipsis




he smashed my haiku
against the wall -
drips of ellipsis

(a bad review)

the lassie
screeds aff the guid wurds
her neb blinterin




the young girl
reads the bidding-prayer
her face flickering

deif tae'm nou
a lou ma guidwife's smile
at bleckie's chirmin




deaf to him now
I enjoy my wife's smile
at blackbird's singing

buddleia
taks's heid
bee rowes i the girse




buddleia
intoxicating
bee rolls in the grass

douce reek tae the goads
fleets intae the square
haps the mah-jong players




incense to the gods
drifts into the square
bathes the mah-jong players

snell wund frae the firth
the chinese lassie's
fiddle trummles




cold wind from the firth
the chinese girl's
erhu trembles

(erhu: two stringed violin-like)

doverin
suddentlie a dormoose
its dowie een




half-asleep
suddenly a dormouse
its sad eyes

wee fite herts
amangst the dug keech:
breer petals




small white hearts
amongst the dog turds:
dog-rose petals

september shours -
caurs splairge stobbie pop-airt
athort the plainstanes




september showers -
cars splash spiky pop-art
across the pavement

fisher kestin -
in brainches abuin's heid
attercap wyves lang threids




fisherman casting -
in branches above his head
spider spins long threads

fundin a stane tae kick
the cadger's laddie's
quat's graith




finding a stone to kick
the street-vendor's boy's
left his pole of goods

a scrieve fir her:
breist-screenin clinic -
I byde an byde...




a letter for her:
breast-screening clinic -
I wait and wait...

voar mornin
the daffins
thair gowden craigs




spring morning
the daffodills
their golden throats

on the causey
an auld mattrass
duntit bi luve an daith




on the pavement
an old mattress
dented by love and death

leaf snaggit
i the winnock
hauf-rods in tae the het




leaf caught
in the window
half-way in to the warm

the auld tarry-breeks
tentie o the kist slumpin
lippert claith smeethens




the old submariner
watches the coffin sink
rippled cloth smoothens

throuch the kintraside
trombones rairin
craws hunker on rouky brainches




through the countryside
trombones roaring
crows sit on misty branches

simmer veesitors gane
the pipie doodles awa
leaves fouin's case




summer visitors gone
the piper plays on
leaves filling his case

canaul's geelt lown
a crippilt laddie
an a swan govein




canal's frozen stillness
a handicapped boy
and a swan gazing

craw speldert -
pikeit tae the
barley perk's paling




crow spreadeagled -
barbed to the
barley field's fence

wunter sun -
the bairn wunners
at's sheddae




winter sun -
the child wonders
at his shadow

pittin up a wurd fir pace -
his
bauchelt shuin




prayers for peace -
his
down-at-heel shoes

dreeblin patients
are hurlt by
gowkin at a warl




drooling patients
trundle by in push-chairs
gazing at a world

in the tirl chyngein
frae derk tae licht
the deid lowrie's cot




in the breeze changing
from dark to light
the dead fox's coat

mercat day -
oot o sicht, the bodach
streetches a guttie




market day -
out of sight, the old man
stretches a catapult

november sheddaes
broon leaves
cleekit




november shadows
brown leaves
clutched

sheep siller glisters
in the brucken stanes
licht fous the mool




mica glitters
in the broken stones
light fills the grave

laicher an laicher
the daffins' heids
i the weet




lower and lower
the daffodils' heads
in the rain

denner tyme -
scuil-bairn luvers culyie,
pree wi mous fou o bridie




lunch time -
school-kid lovers fondle,
kiss with mouths full of pie

craw sowps
frae a howe i the taur:
hou bleck he is




crow drinks
from a hollow in the tar:
how black he is

in the daurk
the bed shaks -
her guid freen's wun awa




in the dark
the bed shakes -
her best friend has died

canaul thowin
deuks sit on islands o ice
a baw sits on a baw




canal thawing
ducks sit on islands of ice
a ball sits on a ball

gay luvers stravaigin
bi the watter's lip -
the wersh wund easin




gay lovers
walking by the water's edge -
the bitter wind easing

throuch duddie leaves
skein efter skein o geese
corse the lift




through tattered leaves
skein after skein of geese
cross the sky

ma neb refleckit -
smirkin in a photy
amang jazz leegends




my face refleckted -
smiling in a photograph
among jazz legends

hunkert thegither
oor nebs wabble
wi ilk tattie that faws




bent together
our faces wobble
with each potato that falls

(after seamus heaney)

gean flourish fleits
pish-the-beds
rin oot o tyme




cherry blossom drifts
dandelion clocks
run out of time

voar -
the sliddery furrs
bydein the seed




spring -
the slippery furrows
await the seed

guiser's neep-lantern -
a week gane
leukin dour




halloween lantern -
a week gone
looking glum

simmer eenin
atween treen, glaizie
columns o midgies




summer evening
between trees, glittering
columns of midges

wunnerin,
moch,
at yir jinky rods




wondering,
moth,
at your zigzaggy roads

a perk o puppies -
twa ootlins
stert tae collogue




a field of poppies -
two strangers
start to converse

no shair...
gaelic signpost -
sklentit at bi craws




unsure...
gaelic signpost -
watched by crows

the speengie's
bluid-reid heid
cowpt on the causey




the peony's
blood-red head
tilted on the sidewalk

(for chet baker)

brattle o clinks
in the tassie -
fite o's teeth




clatter of coins
in the tin -
white of his teeth

mither an dochter
settin aff bulbs -
the derk yirth




mother and daughter
planting bulbs -
the dark earth

leanin on the yett
bletherin tae mysel -
mappies' lugs cockt




leaning on the gate
talking to myself -
rabbits' ears pricked up

a veesit hame -
wundblawn thrisseldoun
amang's herr




a visit home -
windblown thistledown
among his hair

auld monk:his tasht tassie -
in the tuimness
oor fingers tig




old monk:his battered cup -
in the emptiness
our fingers touch

left as a myndin:
his mell -
finger-rittit haunle




left as a gift:
his carving mallet -
finger-grooved handle

hure
threips in chinese -
a straik ma lyart baird:
she lauchs



prostitute
solicits in chinese -
I stroke my grey beard:
she smiles

hern fushin -
makkin a bul's-ee
ilka time




heron fishing -
making a bull's-eye
every time

hairst -
in a quate stairheid
a butterie fauldit




autumn -
in a quiet stairway
a butterfly folded

Buddha
his gowd-leaf skin peelin
gleg i the wund




Buddha
his gold-leaf skin peeling
alive in the wind

aw elbucks an knees
puddock hysts himsel
oot frae the dub quately




all elbows and knees
frog winches himsel
out from the pond quietly

rimie nicht
on staney grun
a condom steamin




frosty night
on stony ground
a condom steaming

heidstanes wurn smeeth:
nems smoort -
bairns daff at hidie



gravestones worn smooth:
names obliterated -
children play hide-and-seek

veesitin oor:
nae betterment -
sned flooers deein




visiting hour:
no improvement -
cut flowers dying

divorcit faither
oot wi the bairns -
the hern taks kittlie staps




divorced father
out with the children -
the heron steps delicately

tattie-howkin -
the orra loon's
glaizie arc o pish




potato-picking -
the farm-hand's
glittering arc of piss

rimie nicht
depth o sterns
neist door's drouthy snochers




frosty night
depth of stars
next door's drunk snores

a merk on the wa
whaur ither ludgers
hae leent thair heids




a mark on the wall
where other lodgers
have leant their heads

reid mad mither
cleidit in a tooel -
sneeterin frae the wuids




furious mother
dressed only in a towel -
giggling from the woods

ilka shed o green
the-day
on the gean




every shade of green
today
on the cherry tree