in a seelent vennel
a maw skirls
swallaein the jeelin wund




in a silent alley
a gull screams
swallowing the icy wind

bawdrons curlt
i the monastery cheer -
ma maister




cat curled
in the monastery chair -
my master

Mornin Mass -
a fite wunter sin
...beekin




Morning Mass -
a white winter sun
...warming

a lift fou o sterns -
clinkin o glesses
dirr o the crack




a sky full of stars -
clinking of glasses
hum of conversation

a coortin perr sit -
her neb tae the sin
muves as it muves




young lovers sit -
her face to the sun
moves as it moves

sunlicht wyvein
throuch the brainches -
planets in luve




sunlight weaving
through the branches -
planets in love

frae
the t.v. aerial
bleckie luve sangs




from
the t.v. aerial
blackbird love songs

gled
on the heichest brainch
a contrail progs'm




hawk
on the highest branch
a contrail pierces him

oot frae the snaw
a siller birk
makkin a plash




out from the snow
a silver birch
making a splash

maw
ower freestit perks
lit frae aneath




gull
over frosted fields
lit from beneath

janiveer jazz -
the wund-section's
blawn the ruif aff




january jazz -
the wind-section's
blown the roof off

granda hauds'm
up tae the winnock
...dichts a fou muin ontae't




grandfather holds him up
to the window
...rubs a full moon onto it

snell wund -
throuch the causeys
a joogler jooglin gullies




bitter wind -
through the streets
a juggler juggling knives

youthie chiels
fellin youthie chiels -
weet blatters on sclidder




young men
killing young men -
rain beats on ice

takkin doon
Yule lichts -
the gairden snawlit




taking down
Christmas lights -
the garden snowlit

licht throuch the winnock -
in ilka pictur
fawin snaw




light through the window -
in every picture
falling snow

plainstanes chackert
wi snaw an snawmelt -
a haud tae the bleck




pavements chequered
with snow and snowmelt -
I keep to the black

on a brig
twa trevellers
skair a wurd... 'pace'




on a bridge
two travellers
share a word... 'peace'

hogmanay -
rackets agane
flourishin fir a saicont




new year's eve -
fireworks again
blossoming for a second

reddin
her pillae -
a fou muin




plumping
her pillow -
a full moon

a hinmaist photy -
her murtherer
preein'r chaft




a last photograph -
her murderer
kissing her cheek

clappit
agin the bairn's heid:
the mither's chaft




concave
against the baby's head:
the mother's cheek

his guidwife gane
the bodach
funds a seep in's pig




his wife gone
the old man finds a leak
in his hot-water bottle

lang intae the nicht
a dinsome ceilidh -
wund throuch the causeys




long into the night
a riotous party -
wind through the streets

bi the causey
a dead mappie -
stieve in'ts hinmaist lowp




by the roadside
a dead rabbit -
stiff in its last leap

the peerie moose -
scartin scartin
a thirl i ma sloom




the little mouse -
scratching scratching
a hole in my sleep

kirk doors
wide tae the wa -
a pickle leaves




church doors
flung wide -
a few leaves

Yule hoalidays -
the dominie
weirs antlers




Christmas holidays -
the teacher
wears antlers

ilka mornin
Reid Rab -
the hovein sin on's breist




every morning
a robin -
the rising sun on his breast

the makar's but an ben
tint in yowden-drift -
a threid o reek




the poet's cottage
lost in drifting snow -
a thread of smoke

rimie haar -
the wabster's daikert
the gean tree




frosty mist -
the spider's decorated
the cherry tree

brennin leaves -
reek hoves
claps tae the brainches




burning leaves -
smoke rises
clings to the branches

Yule lichts daizzlin -
deep i the gangrel's kep
dowie broon placks




Christmas lights dazzling -
deep in the beggar's cap
dull brown pennies

the thrissel leaf:
its ain glisterin
eeshogels




the thistle leaf:
its own glittering
icicles

the rooster's skirl
snecks throuch the mornin's freist -
het eggs amang the strae




the cockrel's cry
cuts through the morning's frost -
warm eggs amongst the straw

loass o a freen -
a brucken brainch
fleits awa doonstream




loss of a friend -
a broken branch
floats away downstream

muinlit:
a shilpit bawdrons
his bunt waffin in space




moonlit:
a skinny cat
his tail waving in space

her wechty pokes faw
she faws -
snaw moutens on her govein een




her heavy bags fall
she falls -
snow melts on her staring eyes

wund i the lum -
brucken airticles
stour alang the causey




wind in the chimney -
broken things
race along the street

agin the derk lift
reid-lit brainches
...vascular




against the dark sky
red-lit branches
...vascular

dubs reiddenin -
anither day
ens




puddles reddening -
another day
ends

advent caunles
blinterin -
the wund's lang raik




advent candles
flickering -
the wind's long journey

fou muin -
honesty dirls
i the tirl




full moon -
honesty rattles
in the breeze

the day -
new roses
the colour o snaw




today -
new roses
the colour of snow

it sterts tae snaw -
the blin musicianer
leuks upwarts




it starts to snow -
the blind musician
looks upwards

wund chirts
atween heidstanes -
throuch the leaves:Kaddish




wind squeezes
between headstones -
through the leaves:Kaddish


(old Jewish cemetery:Prague)

snell -
the tooter crunkles
the clarinettist
blaws on's fingers




cold -
the cornet crackles
the clarinettist
blows on his fingers

pawtin the deepth
o the Hebrew scrieve:
shivers i the dorbie's baird




fingering the depth
of the Hebrew script:
chips in the stone-mason's beard

a snell wund -
the bodach hunkers
his box souchin




a bitter wind -
the old man sits
his accordion wheezing

a neon watergaw
skimmers on her sheeny buits -
doontoon leddy




a neon rainbow
glitters on her shiny boots -
downtown lady

hungower -
a'where he leuks
reid berries




hungover -
everywhere he looks
red berries

skirls
frae a far awa playgrun -
ma auld scuil hauf-caw'd doon




screams
from a faraway playground -
my old school half-demolished

the auld makar
hame frae the burnside -
breidnirls aye in's pooch




the old poet
home from the riverside -
breadcrumbs still in his pocket

mornin licht
muves athort the herth -
stour steerin




morning light
moves across the hearth -
dust stirring

toon causey -
abodie tint i the haar
o thair ain braith




city street -
everybody lost in the fog
of their own breath

her cauld neb
whan a preed'r -
furst day o 'Wunter Haiku'




her cold nose
when I kissed her -
first day of 'Winter Haiku'

maple tree nakit -
its huil
o skimmerin licht




maple tree naked -
its skin
of glittering light

auld dug
steek in's mou -
wushin he'd rin fir't




old dog
stick in his mouth -
wishing he had ran for it

unner the brig
a yaised condom -
ettlin tae heave i the tirl




under the bridge
a used condom -
trying to rise in the breeze

fite mait dreepin
frae craw's neb -
a hinmaist aipple




white flesh dripping
from crow's beak -
a last apple

at ma door
leaves in a bing
...chitterin




at my door
leaves in a pile
...shivering

the colour
gane frae'r gairden -
wunter licht lemes on her hauns




the colour
gone from her garden -
winter light gleams on her hands

scuil playgrun -
leaves flichterin efter bairns
flichterin efter leaves




school playground -
leaves chasing children
chasing leaves

the-day
the birk -
fou o auld nests




today
the birch tree -
full of old nests

licht throuch the treen -
monks'
orange cloots




light through the trees -
monks'
orange robes

the jakie -
his sheddae on the wa
amangst the graffiti




the wino -
his shadow on the wall
amongst the graffiti

aw saunts' day -
ten rodden berries
fir a rosary




all saints' day -
ten rowan berries
for a rosary

her reid pownie-tail
slaikit bi the wund -
leddie firefechter




her red pony-tail
licked by the wind -
lady firefighter

hallae e'en
pilkin beetroot:
bluid-colourt hauns




halloween
peeling beetroot:
blood-coloured hands

aipple-tree brainches
mair nakit -
aipples growein reidder




apple-tree branches
more naked -
apples growing redder

hairst mornin -
maple leaves
on a gean tree




autumn morning -
maple leaves
on a cherry tree

ruggin the hingers
reid rab settin on the stroop -
furst Yule caird




drawing the curtains
a robin sits on the pump -
first Christmas card

the hail orchard
shakkin -
skwurrels a'where




the whole orchard
shaking -
sqirrels everywhere

the pail muives aff -
a bleckie yitters
on the tuim burd-table




the hearse moves off -
a blackbird chatters
on the empty bird-table

mids the burdsang
craw twangs sumthin's intimmers
oot frae the taur




amidst the birdsong
crow twangs something's intestines
out from the tar

amang the leaves
a fedder -
dichtit smeeth bi arctic wunds




among the leaves
a feather -
brushed smooth by arctic winds

beekin thair hauns
at the bleeze
...reid maple leaves spreid




warming their hands
at the bonfire
...red maple leaves spread

the bodach
hauds oot the wanits -
runkilt broon hauns




the old man
holds out the walnuts -
wrinkled brown hands

fitba pitch merkit oot:
stents o the gemme -
owerheid a bomber souchs




football field marked out:
grids of the game -
overhead a bomber drones

toon sirens skirl -
a fou muin agane
...ayewis smirkin




city sirens scream -
a full moon again
...always smiling

sauch leaves fawin -
oor lest
fareweels




willow leaves falling -
our last
farewells



(for padres Ron and E.J. of chicago)

coortin kipple
a coffee atween thaim -
stame heavin




young lovers
a coffee between them -
steam rising

throuch the nicht
the wund -
leaves scartin the causey




through the night
the wind -
leaves scratching the sidewalk

leaves tummlin
the aipples byde
...reid-chaftit bairns fuffin




leaves falling
the apples remain
...red-cheeked children puffing

on a stob
a craw tentie -
fite burds abuin the kirk




on a post
a crow watching -
white birds above the church

afore licht
afore burdsang -
the monastery bell




before light
before birdsong -
the monastery bell

the maisic
o cuit-deep leaves -
a fou muin keeks oot




the music
of ankle-deep leaves -
a full moon peeps out

cocktail pairty -
a peerie moch wyvein
wearyin ilka ane




cocktail party -
a tiny moth weaving
annoying everyone

in the sin
streekin a gentie spyog -
the monastery bawdrons




in the sun
stretching an elegant leg -
the monastery cat

the Angelus bell -
twa butteries jine us
...syne a bummer




the Angelus bell -
two butterflies join us
...and then a bee

mornin incaains -
the cushats' cheetlin
throuch the cloisters




morning prayers -
the wood-pigeons' warbling
through the cloisters

freesty mornin -
oot frae a jaur
the rizzard lavender's blae braith




frosty morning -
out from a jar
the dried lavender's blue breath

a flee slawly
corses the lozen -
we skair its hinmaist day




a fly slowly
crosses the pane -
we share its last day

the bodach
heelds on's besom -
yin hinmaist leaf tae faw




the old man
leans on his brush -
one last leaf to fall


(for Tom)

a faw'n petal
weet dings on't -
its reidness




a fallen petal
rain beats on it -
its redness

aneath the nicht's
bricht constellations -
snail's siller fuit-prents




beneath the night's
bright constellations -
snail's silver foot-prints

his shuin
left oot aw nicht -
fou o leaves




his shoes
left out all night -
full of leaves

anither yirdin -
sin blinters on the spaiks
o a birlin trinnle




another funeral -
sun glitters on the spokes
of a turning wheel

abuin the burn
maws skirlin -
nae breid the day anely leaves




above the stream
gulls screaming -
no bread today only leaves

the hern gants
its neb chizorin the err -
leaves faw aroon'm




the heron yawns
its beak scissoring the air -
leaves fall around him