bairns skelloch
airms i the err -
playgrun fou o bibbles




children scream
arms in the air -
playground full of bubbles

cluds
passin ower
fou o dubs




clouds
passing over
full of puddles

saumon fir tae -
ma fingers
jowelt




salmon for tea -
my fingers
jewelled

weet fir days -
in the syver
pran o yestreen's speirins




rain for days -
in the gutter
pulp of yesterday's news

furst communicants'
blinterin croons -
leaf-pynts hingit wi sparks




first communicants'
glittering diadems -
leaf-tips hung with raindrops

hauf-fou halflins
sclimin the sterr -
paidlin squaiks intae'r drame




tiddly teenagers
climbing the stairs -
pressing squeaks into her dream

doverin -
Yamaguchi's haiku
heavin an fawin




dozing -
Yamaguchi's haiku
rising and falling

ranter -
muckle-boukit in a dub
aneath the wildfire




reveller -
pregnant in a puddle
beneath the lightning

...doon the burn
a singul rose petal
wyves atween the deuks




...down the stream
a single rose petal
weaves between the ducks

a blink
frae the puppie -
a bummer in'ts ee




a wink
from the poppy -
a bumblebee in its eye

athort the new rin-in
bawdrons' fitprents -
sall ootlast us baith




across the new driveway
cat's footprints -
shall outlast us both

raxin fir a clud
the bairn tottles -
sits i the dub smirkin




reaching for a cloud
the toddler topples -
sits in the puddle smiling

weet stertin
attercap rinnin
atween the draps




rain starting
spider running
between the drops

a splatch
o wull roobrub
diddlin i the weet




a patch
of wild rhubarb
singing in the rain

weet - tirrin
the gean's petals
yin bi yin




rain - stripping
the rose's petals
one by one

craw
wi's muckle neb
sowps a singul spark




crow
with his huge beak
sips a single raindrop

hern, stane-still -
wund suddentlik
pooks a fedder frae's weeng




heron, stone-still -
wind suddenly
plucks a feather from his wing

govein doon on hern -
govein doon
intae the watter




gazing down on heron -
gazing down
into the watter

a breer -
nettles heeld forrit
gairdin it




a wild rose -
nettles lean forward
gaurding it

blowster -
wabs bairdie
wi thrisseldoon




gales -
webs bearded
with thistledown

the fisher
kestin's piece-box
catchit a burd




the fisherman
casting his sandwich-box
caught a bird

frae'r daith-bed
she seis the brummle's flourish
gie wey tae the fruit




from her death-bed
she sees the bramble's blossom
give way to the fruit

a mornin
o dubs:
rhymin awthing




a morning
of puddles:
repeating everything

the convent gairden's
gnomes hae pawkie smirks -
yin plays the box




the convent garden's
gnomes have roguish smiles -
one plays the accordian

clematis
raxin apen -
nae bummers the day




clematis
straining open -
no bees today

deuklins on the towe-peth -
amangst the yella gowans
bawdrons' een




ducklings on the tow-path -
amongst the buttercups
cat's eyes

sainit wi haly ile
a prees ma broo
agin ma guidwife's




blest with holy oil
I press my forehead
against my wife's

twa bleckies on a stug
centuries-auld sangs
in thair nebs




two blackbirds on a stump
centuries-old songs
in their beaks

butterie
foryettin,myndin,
foryettin...the wey




butterfly
forgetting,remembering,
forgetting...the way

ootby the howf
youthie speuggies
in a stramash




outside the pub
young sparrows
disturbing the peace

ootby the vennel
a puil o bluid -
fuchsias owerhingin




outside the alley
a pool of blood -
fuchsias overhanging

michaelmas gowans
gove athort the causey
tae the kirk ferr




michaelmas daisies
gaze across the street
to the church fair

aw day
sneddin treen -
a bog on ma pillae




all day
pruning trees -
a bug on my pillow

reid puppies
heeld thegither
...derk een




red poppies
lean together
...dark eyes

roukie mornin -
sheddae burds unnerwatter
sheddae burds i the err




misty morning -
shadow birds underwater
shadow birds in the air

atween the bodach
an the speuggie:
brukken breid




between the old man
and the sparrow:
broken bread

a furst burd veesits -
the peerie aipple tree
boos




a first bird visits -
the tiny apple tree
bows

the cailleach's roses
heeld oot
intae the ceetie




the old lady's roses
lean out
into the city

pheelosopher:
bleart refleckshun
in's fuskie




philosopher:
bleary reflection
in his whisky

roses hing frae the wa
...nebs o the
orphantage bairns




roses hang from the wall
...faces of the
orphanage children

bummer slidderin oot
frae the lady's thummles -
its wark duin




bee slipping out
from the foxglove's bell -
its work done

the deein sinflooer
goves
intae the bicker




the dying sunflower
stares
into the teacup

in the sin
a craw hunkers
in a dub o bleck fedders




in the sun
a crow sits
in a puddle of black feathers

leaf fleitin slawer
nor the rist o the burn -
the makar in't




leaf floating slower
than the rest of the stream -
the poet in it

a hinmaist
pish-the-bed
taisilt bi the tirl




a last
dandelion-clock
teased by the breeze

abuin the burn
mudges - ower fest
tae lave a sheddae




above the stream
midges - too fast
to leave a shadow

seturday mornin fitbaw -
anither baw
fleits doon the watter




saturday morning football -
another ball
floats downstream

twa swans
thair nest tuim
soom anent the deuklins




two swans
their nest empty
swim alongside the ducklings

in the scrappie's yaird
a'whaur
bonnie growthe




in the breaker's yard
everywhere
beautiful weeds

craw an maw -
scashin ower
the hinmaist lum can




crow and gull -
squabbling over
the last chimney pot

soon
o the chingle strand's
souchin




sound
of the shingle shore's
breathing

in the barber's
a jaur o smeeth stanes -
flair kivvert wi herr




in the barber-shop
a jar of smooth stones -
floor covered with hair

the foggies
tissle tae skair
a peerie umberellae




the old couple
struggle to share
a tiny umbrella

simmer -
ilka leaf thristin
oot intae space




summer -
each leaf thrusting
out into space

bleezin azalea -
priest in's
pentacostal simmit




fiery azalea -
priest in his
pentacostal vestments

airport shunkie
unalikenesses mouten
pishin in a raw




airport toilet
differences dissolve
peeing in a line

a deuk sooms by -
hankilt boats
heave an faw




a duck swims by -
tied up boats
rise and fall

bleckie's chirmin
fous the air -
e'en craw taks tent




blackbird's singing
fills the air -
even crow listens

waff o wull lickerie -
the bairn in me
wints sweeties




smell of wild liquorice -
the child in me
wants sweets

fawin intae the scug
o the speengie rose -
the speengie's petals




falling into the shade
of the peony -
the peony's petals

hern swallaes
the wammlin moose -
the lang craig runklin




heron swallows
the wriggling mouse -
the long neck wrinkling

a tirl
frae whae kens whaur
apenin ma chaumer door




a breeze
from who knows where
opening my bedroom door

soun o a linn
...wund throuch
the green sauchs




sound of a waterfall
...wind through
the green willows

in ablow pink cluds
bleckie chirms the day
intae derkness




under pink clouds
blackbird sings the day
into darkness

sweltrie day -
bummer chaaves
in's fur cot




hot day -
bumble-bee struggles
in his fur coat

i the wund
a peerie buttery
faws...turns intae a leaf




in the wind
a tiny butterfly
falls...turns into a leaf

smatters o clud
maws heelstergowdie
i the wund




scraps of cloud
gulls tumbling
in the wind

thigger wifie -
her sheddae
skiffs me




beggar woman -
her shadow
touches me

weet -
azalea tassies
reamin ower




rain -
azalea cups
overflowing

craw shaks
its marrow's stieve bouk
...fite sichtless een




crow shakes
its mate's stiff body
...white sightless eyes

speuggie hunkert
keeks throuch the flourish
...laburnum rainglets




sparrow sitting
peeps through the blossom
...laburnum ringlets

throuch a perk
o pish-the-beds -
the wund's gate




through a field
of dandelion clocks -
the wind's route

swans doverin -
magnolia petals
on the girse




swans asleep -
magnolia petals
on the lawn

speengie rose uncleikin
its reidness
...stoundin heart




peony unclenching
its redness
...beating heart

cumulus cluds
...swans
pander by




cumulus clouds
...swans
drift by

scuil's voar ferr -
ingaun clinks
slooshin intae the mullie




school's spring fair -
entrance fee
splashing into the tin

the bodach
tentie o the rackets -
sterns in's een




the old man
watching the fireworks -
stars in his eyes

slaw burn -
cluds grundit
i the shallaes




slow stream -
clouds beached
in the shallows

craw heaves up
frae the dub
...cheen o glentin draplets




crow rises
from the puddle
...chain of sparkling droplets

throuch freestit gless
flams lowp
...reid azalea




through frosted glass
flames leap
...red azalea

on the plainstanes
a doo's egg - washt oot
claen's a fou muin




on the pavement
a pigeon's egg - washed out,
clean as a full moon

the mull's
lanely watter-wheel -
the drouthie burn




the mill's
lonely water-wheel -
the dried-up stream

gean tree:
anely yestreen
flourish freithin ower




cherry tree:
only yesterday
blossom frothing over

keelies stane the deuks -
in the shallas
watter sclims hern's trams




vandals stone the ducks -
in the shallows
water climbs heron's legs

aneath
the sin's glister
the derk burn




beneath
the sun's glitter
the dark stream

threy deuks
anely threy deuks
runklin the hail burn




three ducks
only three ducks
wrinkling the whole stream

chynge i the wedder
burd-bath
slawly fouin




change in the weather
bird-bath
slowly filling

hinmaist licht
on the brae
rap flourish




last light
on the hillside
rape blossom

at Jesus' feet
a vause o roses
...yin petal hings on a breer




at Jesus' feet
a vase of roses
...one petal hangs on a thorn

auncient aiks
a baiten peth
...breidth o a deuk




ancient oaks
a beaten path
...width of a duck

rin-ower craw:
bleck weengs
streekin oot o sicht




run-over crow:
black wings
stretching out of sight

atween clematis leaves
the crottilt warl
o the lameter wifie




between clematis leaves
the fragmented world
of the crippled lady

sin muves athort
snaggit in a moose wab
a sheddae




sun moves across
caught in a spider's web
a shadow

birlin
gliffin oot a leam -
coke-tinnie on the burn




turning
flashing out a beam -
coke-can on the stream

sin progs
doon throuch the leaves -
the pyotie burn rins




sun pierces
down through the leaves -
the piebald stream runs

fernyear's leaf
thrawin a sheddae
o kittlie tracery




last year's leaf
casting a shadow
of delicate tracery

in siccan
unchancy warl
speuggie's spurtle-legs




in such
a dangerous world
sparrow's thin legs

lown watter
fleitin
frae clud tae clud




peaceful stream
streaming
from cloud to cloud

scufflin:
the cailleach's knockles
...bowders fiten i the burn




hoeing:
the old lady's knuckles
...rocks whiten in the stream

mey day
anarchists daunce -
sin on polis steeks




may day
anarchists dance -
sun on police batons