on the strand
bricht shalls
pentit tae-nails




on the shore
bright shells
painted toe-nails

the bodach
wi the tattooed heid
weirs's wuiddrames




the old man
with the tattooed head
wears his nightmares

ower coorse tae fush
he blaws scales
on his saxyphone




too stormy to fish
he blows scales
on his saxophone

fitprents i the saun
her taes howkin deeper
whaur he pree'd'r lips




footprints in the sand
her toes digging deeper
where he kissed her

bongoes aneath the muin
a bricht pesos
in a derk waukit luif




bongoes beneath the moon
a bright pesos
in a dark calloused palm

the nicht
the muin an I
smirk at ilk ither




tonight
the moon and I
smile at each other

wunter skeps
peerie herts
i the derkness




winter hives
tiny hearts
in the darkness

in the florist's winnock
a corse-shapit wraith
o voar flooers




in the florist's window
a cruciform wreath
of spring flowers

athort the muin
peerie derk cluds
...drames o buffalo




across the moon
little dark clouds
...dreams of buffalo

blue bonnets
fidgin an yerkin
in thair timorsome warl




blue tits
twitching and jerking
in their nervous world

pussy willows
brustin throuch the brainch
wunter wund in thair herr




pussy willows
bursting through the branch
winter wind in their hair

reddin the geegaws -
the snaw-globe
tootles a pickle spatrils




packing decorations -
the snow-globe
plays a last few notes

global hettin
howkin oot fernyear's
snaw haiku




global warming
digging out last year's
snow haiku

craws daff
at chasie
... nae raison




crows play
at chasing each other
... no reason

tree limbs
liggin aw airts
weirlik natur




tree limbs
lying everywhere
warlike nature

a plowp!
i the dub
baith o's stertilt




a plop!
in the pond
both of us startled

in the vause
amang the flourish
sum flooers byde scandaleesed




in the vase
among the blossom
some flowers remain shocked

kingfisher
delichtin i the sin
...delichts




kingfisher
delighting in the sun
...delights

burn curmurrin
hern
dovers on a clint




stream murmuring
heron
dozes on a rock

hogmanay
eemages wabble in dubs
whuskie braiths




new year's eve
images wobble in puddles
whisky breaths

sin on thair riggins
they breenge towarts the muin
ower the trampit yirth




sun on their backs
they race towards the moon
over the trampled earth

(race meeting)

readin Issa
hearin
the weet fawin




reading Issa
hearing
the rain falling

ma peerie Buddha
nae hap fir's heid -
the bonsai's deid




my tiny Buddha
no cover for his head -
the bonsai is dead

New Orleans jazz -
throuchoot the hoose
ma Gran Marischal strunt




New Orleans jazz -
throughout the house
my Grand Marshal strut

blowster wairnin
the gairden sweeng
slawly sterts tae sweeng




gale warning
the garden swing
slowly starts to swing

deuks hyste thair heids
tak tent:
the fish-cadger's tooter




ducks raise their heads
listen:
the fishmonger's horn

snell wund frae the sea
a maw hunkers on a pall
greetin in'ts een




cold wind from the sea
a gull sits on a bollard
tears in its eyes

derk watter stourin
faemin fite
agin hern's trams




dark watter racing
foaming white
against heron's legs

boxin day
buckets skailin:
craws' Yule




boxing day
dustbins overflowing:
crows' Christmas

hinmaist day o advent
oot frae the haar
sumthin takkin shape




last day of advent
out from the freezing fog
something taking shape

burn in spate
a fairmer corses
on unvisible stanes




flooded river
a farmer crosses
on invisible stones

alane
at the bus-stap
a tuim yill bottle




alone
at the bus-stop
an empty beer bottle

Yule
throuch scuddit brainches
blue bonnets blinter




Christmas
through naked branches
blue tits flicker

maws
skirlin
juist wi joy




gulls
crying
just with joy

racin his maister
the auld dug
his lang reid tung sweengin




racing his master
the old dog
his long red tongue swinging

sundoon
aye wairmth
in her rosary beads




sunset
still warmth
in her rosary beads

Yule bells -
myndin a deid fere
...hingin




Christmas bells -
remembering a dead friend
...hanging

bawdrons tentie o me
threidin thairms
...wins awa suddent lik




cat watches me
threading gut strings
...suddenly leaves

blae lift
fuff-ba cluds
maggie haiks's tail athort




blue sky
puff-ball clouds
magpie drags his tail across

muckle
smoorichinsappieness:
twa winos




a lot of
huggingtouchingtenderness:
two winos

hivvie freest
dunt o the freezer
drappin ice-cubes




severe frost
thump of the freezer
dropping ice-cubes

furst freest -
a bodach an's eildit dug
uphaud ilk ither




first frost -
an old man and his old dog
support each other

hauns waffin o pine
we unfankle
whigmaleeries an sterns




hands smelling of pine
we untangle
baubles and stars

fitba fans
haud by tae warsle
he hings on's besom




football fans
pass by to conflict
he leans on his broom

sleekit craw
the day raggit craw
jachelt mang brainches




sleek crow
today ragged crow
tossed amongst branches

pairty time
the nicht e'en the muin
muinin




party time
tonight even the moon
mooning

oot frae the leaves
curlt intae a cleuch
a tint gliv




out from the leaves
curled into a clutch
a lost glove

syncopatit
the sparks
throuch ma laiky ruif




syncopated
the raindrops
through my leaky roof

weet blatters
on the balderies
they juist jig




rain beats
on the orchids
they just dance

the advent caunle
brenns awa anither day
the lowe chitters




the advent candle
burns away another day
the flame shivers

throuch the hailstanes
hollin berries
lichtin a peth




through the hail
holly berries
lighting a path

the laddie's dowie sang -
a hert-shaped leaf
blaws tae ma feet




the boy's sad song -
a heart-shaped leaf
blows to my feet

in the herth
a poinsettia
leamin




in the hearth
a poinsettia
glowing

burnside clartit
ablow the damheid
craw taks a shour




riverside littered
below the weir
crow takes a shower

December
meysies' peerie nebs
...yit




December
primroses' small faces
...still

in a borraed cot
new letters efter's nem:
weedower




in a borrowed coat
new letters after his name:
widower

wunter yirdin
abodie's braith
smoors the coffin




winter burial
everybody's breath
clouds the coffin

the auld mull dung doon -
muinlicht the nicht
in her chaumer




the old mill demolished -
moonlight tonight
in her room

bawdrons skooks
throuch the sheddaes
bluid on's neb




cat skulks
through the shadows
blood on his nose

abuin the scuilyaird skirls
maws whurl
...quatelik




above the playground screams
gulls wheel
...silently

Haly Mess
throuch the freestit gless
a flutherin o weengs




Holy Mass
through the frosted glass
a fluttering of wings

stoury nicht
billbrod liggs i the perk
bonnie lassie's neb clarty




stormy night
billboard lies in the field
beauty-queen's face dirty

efter the blatter
causey redd o leaves -
sum back on the brainches




after the storm
street clear of leaves -
some back on the branches

apenin the hingers
furst day
o advent




opening the curtains
first day
of advent

moose raxes
tae apen's een
the pushener taks tent




mouse struggles
to open its eyes
the poisoner looks on

alane nou
the bodach sterts
tae reek o pish




alone now
the old man
starts to smell of urine

bunnet gane tae the sterns
we haud ilk ither
wund rammishes throuch




hat gone to the stars
we hold each other
wind storms through

stieve wunter girses
naethin muivin bit the wund
bodachs' banes knackin




stiff winter grasses
nothing moving but the wind
old mens' bones cracking

peerie speuggie
frae brainch tae brainch
shooglin the tree




tiny sparrow
from branch to branch
shaking the tree

toon crier
his muckle wame
whaur he hains's vice




town crier
his huge stomach
where he keeps his voice

leaves breenge
towarts me:
wuid scartin




leaves race
towards me:
mad scratching

his concertina
gaitherin stour
jigs hapt




his concertina
gathering dust
jigs enfolded

she maks-up:
in the keekin-gless
her corrie-haundit twin smirks




she makes-up:
in the mirror
her left-handed twin smiles

bricht mornin
maws whurlin
yin in ma teacup




bright morning
gulls wheeling
one in my teacup

snell day
haun in haun
gled she's weirin glivs




nippy day
hand in hand
glad she's wearing gloves

liggin cantie -
her braith
on ma rig




lying contented -
her breath
on my back

gean
sparks hingin
refleck Yule lichts




cherry tree
raindrops hanging
reflect Christmas lights

athort the perk
the crippilt chiel's trike:
its bockety trinnle




across the park
the handicapped man's tricycle:
its buckled wheel

the muin the nicht
seam a fingerbrod
whit a banjo!




the moon tonight
fit a fingerboard
what a banjo!


(after Sokan)

dour-faced shoppers
a gangrel croons
aneath Yule lichts




grim-faced shoppers
a tramp sings
beneath Christmas lights

heich i the brainches
a plastic baguette poke
giein the finger




high in the branches
a plastic baguette bag
giving the finger

droondit in maw leid
the towerists
skail orrals




drowned in gull language
the tourists
scatter scraps

rugby practeese
vices belloch
hern shaks weet frae' s neb




rugby practice
voices bellow
heron shakes rain from his beak

the crippilt lassie smirks -
a haud by a saicont time
tint




the handicapped girl smiles -
I pass by a second time
lost

fantoosh fitwark
bleckies dumpin
thair wey throuch leaves




fancy footwork
blackbirds kicking
their way through leaves

chinese lassies geegle
ferrgrun lichts refleckit
i thair glesses




chinese girls giggle
fairground lights reflected
in their glasses

the skeetchers
birl an snuve
sheddaes o maws on the slidder




the skaters
spin and glide
shadows of gulls on the ice

in the het sinlicht
midgies hove up
in shooglie columns




in the warm sunlight
midges rise up
in shaky columns

throuch the weet
a dowie sang
clinks plash intae's cog




through the rain
a sad song
coins splash into his pail

reid claith ower the leerie
mak-on bordel
jazz gaitherin




red cloth over the lamp
make-believe bordello
jazz session

prood stag -
the-day yir antlers
sellt on a weet toon causey




proud stag -
today your antlers
sold on a wet city street

heft the tooter
pawt the valves
wunner:cud a yet...




lift the trumpet
finger the valves
wonder:could I still...

foggies' pairty -
nae sae daft
he nicks's neebor's whuskie




pensioners' party -
not so senile
he steals his neighbour's whisky

wund i the lum
leaves
sweel




wind in the chimney
leaves run
in circles

staunin stanes
stappin tae refleck
a gled hings




standing stones
stopping to reflect
a hawk hangs

licht smirr
a roon the cunyie
mak a wattergaw




light drizzle
I round the corner
make a rainbow

doverin
feet tae the lowe
the warl gaes on




dozing
feet to the fire
the world goes on

the Yule whigmaleerie
fa'n frae the laft
aye hail an sheenin




the Christmas bauble
fallen from the loft
still whole and shining

in the quate o incaain
a stane fa's
ontae the kist




in the silence of prayer
a stone falls
onto the coffin

furst snaw on the braes -
at the bus-stap
reid nebs




first snow on the hills -
at the bus-stop
red faces