anither yirdin -
craw in's bleck's
forrit




another funeral -
crow in his black
attends

snell day
the tinker's baries
her guidman's gowden cheens




cold day
the gypsy's bare feet
her husband's golden chains

mither's day
athort her photy
sheddae o a burd




mother's day
across her photograph
shadow of a bird

furst snaw
on the tosie brainches
mizzlin




first snow
on the warm branches
melting

wunter wisteria
huils hing
...bawkies i ma drames




winter wisteria
pods hang
...bats in my dreams

craw stots narrer
cocks's heid at oor leid:
suddron in a gylick lan




crow hops nearer
cocks his head at our language:
english in a gaelic land

lum reek liggs flet
howf winnocks shak
...tin fussle spring




chimney smoke lies flat
pub windows shake
...tin whistle reel

skirlin saws aw day -
the nicht oor neibour's lichts
rax oot till us




screaming saws all day -
tonight our neighbour's lights
reach out to us

douce reek
o brennin scrogs heaves
...speirins o a fere's daith




sweet incense
of burning brushwood rises
...news of a friend's death

haudin by the hospice -
suddentlie wintin
tae find masel fir kernels




passing the hospice -
suddenly wanting
to feel myself for lumps

craw nest biggin -
his baird
o swansdoon




crow nest building -
his beard
of swansdown

bi the weir cairn
the gean's flourish
cum an gane




by the war memorial
the cherry tree's blossom
come and gone

on her nest
deuk skews her ee
a clud faws in




on her nest
duck turns her eye
a cloud falls in

bawdrons streeks i the sin
abuin'm
gean sproots dae the samen




cat streches in the sun
above him
cherry buds do the same

brummle buss sprootin
deep doon
the fruit's bree gaitherin




bramble bush budding
deep down
the fruit's juices gathering

efter the onding -
she cycles shooglie lik
atween the cluds




after the shower -
she cycles shakily
between the clouds

hailin mass: hailie uilie
fous ma luif's lifeline -
a first meysie smirks




healing mass: holy oil
fills my palm's lifeline -
a first primrose smiles

o the hail wuid
myndin the peerie
raing o daffins




of the whole forest
remembering the tiny
ring of daffodils

nestin time
craw goves
intae the derk lum




nesting time
crow gazes
into the dark chimney

derk cluds rowe awa -
a craw sowps
frae glaizie tractor-steids




dark clouds roll away -
a crow drinks
from glittering tractor-tracks

hairst muin:
on a throu-gaun bus
ilka neb reflecks




harvest moon:
on a passing bus
every face reflects

coble hindert -
we hunker tentie
o the maws lavein




ferry-boat cancelled -
we sit watching
the gulls leave

jazz souchs
throuch the gairden
awthing shaks a fit




jazz wafts
through the garden
everything dances

voar mornin -
a chiel
fusslin




spring morning -
a man
whistling

gurly lift
a siller birk stauns
wildfire on the brae




stormy sky
a silver birch stands
lightning on the hill

novice
her spleet-new robes
...her lick




novice
her new robes
...her speed

parkit, tentie:
jazz upmak - asweil's
reid-neb




parked, listening:
jazz improvisation - plus
oyster-catcher

tide's oot
maws an boaties
lie at peace




tide's out
gulls and boats
sitting motionless

mairch wunds -
daffins
lichtenin, derkenin




march winds -
daffodils
lightening, darkening

chynge i the wedder
a chitter
throuch the binwuid




change in the weather
a shiver
through the ivy

abuin the scuilyaird
pokes sweel
an dook




above the playground
paper bags swirl
and dive

blae lift
cluds chase a furst bummer
athort the lozen




blue sky
clouds race a first bee
across the pane

throu incaains
an onding
dichtin




during prayers
a downpour
cleansing

bleck bawdrons
throuch the yella gowans
yalla een



black cat
through the buttercups
yellow eyes

git-weel cairts in the winnock:
lairstane sheddaes
on her wa




get-well cards in the window:
tombstone shadows
on her wall

a maw
hauds by slawly
sklentin east, syne wast




a gull
passes slowly
glancing right, then left

tree hingit wi sparks
bourachin blue bonnet
caws doon a shour




tree hung with raindrops
rummaging blue tit
brings down a shower

the day, licht hunkers
on brainches, gairden sates,
deuks' nebs




today light sits
on branches, garden seats,
ducks' bills

frae'r derkness
the blinn cailleach ootstreeks
...licht rins alang'r wand





from her darkness
the blind lady stretches out
...light runs along her cane

throuch the winnock
the crescent muin
...a petal fawin




through the window
the crescent moon
...a petal falling

aw's lithe
the wund-bell
weet dreeps frae'ts tung




all is stillness
the wind-bell
rain drips from its clapper

maisic fest
jazz in the auld graveyaird
bairns jig on mools




music festival
jazz in the old churchyard
children dance on graves

on the scrievein dask
faw'n petals
hae yirdit the pen




on the writing desk
fallen petals
have buried the pen

saft tirl
a telegraph-powl
wammles athort the burn




soft breeze
a telegraph-pole
wriggles across the stream

lavein kirk
craw stauns in ma rod
leukin forritsome




leaving church
crow stands in my way
looking defiant

voar cluds
on the claes-rope
her bed-sheets spue




spring clouds
on the washing-line
her bed-sheets billow

zen gairden
hapt in snaw:
zen gairden




zen garden
covered with snow:
zen garden


(Mainichi Daily News)

a deuk an twa drakes
it's luve...til
there's scran tae skair




a duck and two drakes
it's love...until
there's food to share

crescent muin
liggin on'ts rigg
yin muckle smirk




crescent moon
lying on its back
one huge smile

flooers laid
whaur the cailleach dee'd
...day efter Valentine's day



flowers laid
where the old lady died
...day after Valentine's day

maggies gove
intae dubs
fou o brainches an cluds




magpies gaze
into puddles
full of branches and clouds

a chattert raip-sweeng
the tree-hoose crottlin
foggies at the winnock




a frayed rope-swing
the tree-house crumbling
old folks at the window

fushmunger's winnock -
caller saumon sclices
an his reid hauns




fishmonger's window -
fresh salmon slices
and his red hands

valentine's day
lesbian lovies
skair a bowlie o macallum




valentine's day
lesbian lovers
share a bowl of ice-cream

giein bluid -
throuch the winnock
the reiddest tulips




giving blood -
through the window
the reddest tulips

bawdron's neb
amang voar flooers -
a deid moose hingin




cat's face
amongst spring flowers -
a dead mouse hanging

fower hyacinths
flourishin in a pat -
nae greter meesterie




four hyacinths
blooming in a pot -
no greater mystery

sparks hingin
aw o the mornin licht
in ilka yin




raindrops hanging
all of the morning light
in each one

sin
on the freestit binwuid
a green leam




sun
on the frosted ivy
a green beam

craws' clatter
pouin me deeper
intae the wuids




crows' calling
drawing me deeper
into the woods

match day
cadgers sellin flags -
sprittelt crocuses




match day
vendors selling flags -
multi-coloured crocuses

in 'The Gairdens'
muckle herts an kisses
in the snaw




in 'The Gardens'
giant hearts and kisses
in the snow

mither an bairn
dumpin snaw at ilk ither
...skirls




mother and child
kicking snow at each other
...squeals

muinlicht
ower the freestit perk
hoolet's dowie neb




moonlight
over the frosted field
owl's sad face

the postie -
the cauld
scrieve




the postman -
the cold
letter

jeelin
eeshogels an slidder
...a jowin bell




freezing
icicles and ice
...a chiming bell

lowpin oot o bed
ma erse scartit -
guidwife's tint rosary




leaping out of bed
my buttocks scratched -
wife's lost rosary

freesty mornin
swan beeries its heid
in the brawest swansdoon




frosty morning
swan buries its head
in the finest swansdown

on the freestit perk
a singul craw
hantinly bonnie




on the frosted field
a single crow
hauntingly beautiful

amang yaised condoms
an champt tinnies -
daffins




among used condoms
and crushed cans -
daffodils

mexican voar
a roon yalla leaf
trinnles alang the strand




mexican spring
a round yellow leaf
rolls along the shore

neb tae the chaumer wa
tentie o sheddae burds
sheddae brainches




face to the bedroom wall
she watches shadow birds
shadow branches

angert honkin
a fremmit deuk
ettles tae jyne the parrock




angry honking
a foreign duck
trys to join the group

ilka day
mair trok in the burn
new runkles on the scruif




every day
more rubbish in the stream
new wrinkles on the surface

the deef hoaspital's
fush-tank
thae fush...nae lugs




the hearing clinic's
aquarium
those fish...no ears

craw hoddles
alang the causey
licht sheenin frae's derkness




crow waddles
along the road
light shining from his darkness

in the pictur hoose
a bleck an fite bawdrons
blinters atween the cuits




in the cinema
a black and white cat
flickers between the ankles

makar's yirdin
pipie blaws a coronach
snawdraps' heids hing




poet's funeral
the piper blows a lament
snowdrops' heads hang

(for Hamish Henderson)

on the wund
drucken vices
the muin keeks oot




on the wind
drunken voices
the moon peeps out

snell wuntry days
cailleachs
wi fire-en-tartan legs




cold wintry days
old ladies
with fireside-tartan legs

(fireside-tartan: a blotched pattern
on the legs from sitting too close to the fire)

a lowpin bawdrons
wrocht frae spuins - the airtist
sowps wi's fingers




a leaping cat
made from spoons - the artist
eats with his fingers

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