tirl throuch the tulips:
footers, footers,
gin the petals faw aff




breeze through the tulips:
tinkers, tinkers,
until the petals fall off

cluds abuin the treen -
the fusher
feuchs's cuttie




clouds above the trees -
the angler
puffs his pipe

deid phaesant -
the fusher's een
licht up




dead pheasant -
the angler's eyes
light up

the cailleach's breid -
oot frae tide cluds
maws,weet




the old lady's bread -
out from ocean clouds
gulls, rain

i the dubs
gean flourishins:
kaleidoscope i the tirl




in the puddles
cherry blossoms:
kaleidoscope in the breeze

deid maw -
speuggie gaitherin
saftest fedders




dead gull -
sparrow gathering
softest feathers

hert ward -
sheenin herts stoondin
...sterns throuch the derk lozen




intensive care -
luminous hearts pulsing
...stars through the dark pane

rose petals sinderin -
the indian lassie's
smile




rose petals seperating -
the indian girl's
smile

washin-day -
cluds spuein
...blae unnerweir




washing-day -
clouds billowing
...blue underwear

craw:
i the howe o'r derk fedders
a green egg




crow:
deep in her dark feathers
a green egg

a furst bummer duntin
throuch the forsythia:
sleeperie lik




a first bee bumping
through the forsythia:
sleepily

rairin o saws -
new railrod
throuch the blawort




roaring of saws -
new railroad
through the bluebells

throuch the winnock
on the blae lift -
an attercap daunerin




through the window
on the blue sky -
a spider strolling

punlers gane
weet ginges the sawins:
tree's hert bled oot




foresters gone
rain gingers the sawdust:
tree's heart bled out

voar tirl -
youthie leaves
pruive thair vices




spring breeze -
young leaves
try out their voices

weet blatters on thaim:
twa craws
staunin in inky dubs




rain beats on them:
two crows
standing in inky puddles

furst day o simmer time -
the playgrun chute
a siller watterfaw




first day of summer time -
the playground slide
a silver waterfall

silhouette airtist
sneckin aroon sheddaes
...fou muin




silhouette artist
snipping around shadows
...full moon

fawin flichans -
far awa swans
driftin




falling snowflakes -
distant swans
drifting

wundy agane -
craw hystes
a raggity weeng




windy again -
crow raises
a ragged wing

bawdrons skooks -
derk weengs
in's een




cat skulks -
dark wings
in his eyes

sica stramash
frae the nursery playgrun:
speuggies




such an uproar
from the nursery playground:
sparrows

thrang speug:
a lang threid o girse
tae wyve aroon'r




busy sparrow:
a long thread of grass
to weave around her

brainch sheddaes
jeegsawin the plainstanes -
bairns lowp amang thaim




branch shadows
jigsawing the pavement -
children hop among them

the cailleach
an the burn
...at thair ain slaw raik




the old lady
and the stream
...at their own slow pace

'incident trappin' dirls -
wund sclices throuch
the vennel lik a gullie




'incident tape' rattles -
wind slices through
the alley like a knife

a vause o tulips
oot-yallain the sin -
snod in ma chaumer




a vase of tulips
out-yellowing the sun -
snug in my den

furst gorblins -
voar juist gat
roarier




first fledglings -
spring just got
noisier

Guid Friday -
hailstanes scartin,
teirin the flesh




Good Friday -
hailstones sctratching,
tearing the flesh

cadger an's dug -
his dowie sang
follaes me hame




beggar and his dog -
his sad song
follows me home

fou muin -
maundy siller
fir awbodie




full moon -
maundy silver
for everyone


(Maundy Thursday)

shakkin wi lauchter:
the nuns
...the daffins




shaking with laughter:
the nuns
...the daffodils

yill bottle taps skailt -
he hunkers
refleckin on the galaxy




beer bottle tops scattered -
he sits
musing on the galaxy

simmer shows -
the attercap biggs
his hoose o dreid




summer fairground -
the spider builds
his house of horror

muinlicht -
a fite bawdrons slidderin
doon the gairden stairs




moonlight -
a white cat slithering
down the garden steps

furst gean flourish -
brainches reak
intae snaw cluds




first cherry blossom -
branches reach
into snow clouds

atween twa jags:
the brummle's flourish
makkin'ts wey




between two thorns:
the bramble's blossom
making its way



(Holy Week)

thrang bleckies
flee athort the sin -
thair fuskert sheddaes




busy blackbirds
fly across the sun -
their whiskered shadows

hingin sparks
tremmle i the tirl -
farawa kirk bells




hanging raindrops
tremble in the breeze -
distant church bells

throuch the olive plantin:
pyne
o shot joints




through the olive grove:
pain
of arthritic joints

smirr,
haar -
the muin dreeps



drizzle,
mist -
the moon drips

ma auld neebor
flittin:
offers a perr o buits




my old neighbour
moving house:
offers a pair of boots

midnicht weet -
on toon plainstanes
colours rin




midnight rain -
on city pavements
colours run

blue bonnet's sang -
pen an jotter
pit by




blue tit's song -
pen and notebook
put away

deid makar -
agin the wa
his hey-sned roostit




dead poet -
against the wall
his scythe rusted


(for Hugh MacDiarmid)

airlie mornin clockin -
nuns
gaitherin eggs




early morning clucking -
nuns
gathering eggs

gairden
fou o the sea's rair -
the craw's nest sweys




garden
full of the sea's roar -
the crow's nest sways

stourin tae scuil -
thair fuitprents
left i the glaur




racing to school -
their footprints
left in the mud

draigon- fleein -
faither hauds's laddies
cot-tail




kite-flying -
father hold his son's
coat-tail

oot frae the
forsythia: reid rab
...bricht sperk




out from the
forsythia: a robin
...bright spark

day-daw -
abuin the nest's lip
bleckie's gowden neb




dawn -
above the nest's edge
blackbird's golden beak

daffins govein
intae the burn -
teepical narcissi




daffodils gazing
into the stream -
typical narcissi

day efter the gemme -
the altar-laddie's
bleck- ee




day after the game -
the altar-boy's
black-eye

bleck plastic poke
fluthers on the pikit weer -
craw threeps tae't




black plastic bag
flutters on the barbed wire -
crow talks to it

mairch wunds -
chirms o peerie burds
blawn bogshaivelt




march winds -
chirps of tiny birds
blown shapeless

maggie no shair:
tae hunker wi the maws
or the craws




magpie not sure:
to sit with the gulls
or the crows

blawin on the braeside
siller birks
...skime o swords




blowing on the hillside
silver birches
...flash of swords

throuch the perk
coortin kipples -
daffins' heids heeld an tig




through the park
young lovers -
daffodils' heads lean and touch

poussin its new buds
throuch the razzor-weer -
forsythia




pushing its new buds
through the razor-wire -
forsythia

crcuses -
haudin thair bickers
up tae the sin




crocuses -
holding their cups
up to the sun

swan
risin
a fite fan apens




swan
approaching
a white fan opens

leain hame -
e'en his sheddae gaes
intae the flittin van




leaving home -
even his shadow goes
into the removal van

mither's day -
in a derk vennel
she slerps'r gin




mother's day -
in a dark alley
she slurps her gin

in the voar sin -
a signscriever
onlayin gowden straiks




in the spring sun -
a signwriter
laying on golden strokes

stations o the corss -
throuch the flooers
a monk souchs




stations of the cross -
through the flowers
a monk drones

coll-bleck craws
hovein
frae the lum




coal-black crows
rising
from the chimney

jazz parawd -
daffin tooters
streenin




jazz parade -
daffodil trumpets
straining

draigons i the blowster -
dugs gove
cailleachs tove oot ahint




kites in the gale -
dogs stare
old ladies stream out behind

a farawa swan
soomin
towarts the cluds




a distant swan
swimming
towards the clouds

a singul
fite fedder
brookin the tirl




a single
white feather
enjoying the breeze

slaw watter
takkin in the licht
jowellin the troot




slow river
taking in the light
jewelling the trout

the baunk clark gaes stieve
gies me the siller -
attercap on the wa




the bank clerk stiffens
gives me the money -
spider on the wall

craws
drap intae the perk
humphin light on thair weengs




crows
drop into the field
carrying light on their wings

creckit fitpeth -
crocuses
reak oot tae the sin




cracked footpath -
crocuses
reach out to the sun

Voar wund -
bangsterin,
hystin coats




Spring wind -
bullying,
lifting skirts

wund
i the lum -
braithy saxophone




wind
in the chimney -
breathy saxophone

heid-cauld -
craw'll sit alane the day
...wull he wunner, a wunner?




head-cold -
crow will sit alone today
...will he wonder, I wonder?

voar -
a green sheddae spreidin
athort the treen




spring -
a green shadow spreading
across the trees

playtime -
the sin hings abuin
the netba skep




recess -
the sun hangs above
the netball basket

drameit o a draigon -
the riven bouk
clootit wi a haiku




dreamt of a kite -
the torn body
patched with a haiku

sin sheenin -
on the blae lift
muin's thoumprent




sun shining -
on the blue sky
moon's thumbprint

walcomin voar -
craw nevels the err
wi's neb




welcoming spring -
crow punches the air
with his beak

maws birl
i the sin -
bleck scarts on the burn




gulls wheel
in the sun -
black scribbles on the stream

scuil hoalidays
awmaist ower -
the janny chacks the bell




school holidays
almost over -
the janitor tests the bell

yin reid rose
its heid
as big's a hert




one red rose
its head
as big as a heart



(valentine for Ann)

daffin
i the hait
the dug bowfs at the sin




frolicking
in the heat
the dog barks at the sun

in's upturnt bunnet
placks fir the gangrel -
twa fir's deid een




in his upturned cap
pennies for the beggar -
two for his dead eyes

pittin oot the bucket
a peerie skelloch -
haar swurlin towarts her




putting out the trash
a tiny scream -
fog swirling towards her

in the haar
craws murrin
heich i thair derk nests




in the mist
crows murmuring
high in their dark nests

skreich o day -
throuch the burdsang
heich-heels knackin




dawn chorus -
through it all
high-heels clicking

heeldin ower
a breist cowps oot
crescent muin




leaning over
a breast falls out
crescent moon

agin the kirkyaird wa
the tide
showdin




against the churchyard wall
the ocean
rocking

maws
reiddenin
i the eenin lift




gulls
reddening
in the evening sky

agane
leaves apenin
oot frae the meesterie




again
leaves opening
out from the mystery

auchteent burthday -
tethert tae'r pawrents' yett
balloons raxin tae be lowst




eighteenth birthday -
tied to her parents' gate
balloons struggling to be free

craw
lans on's sheddae
sooks it up




crow
lands on his shadow
sucks it up

licht throuch
the kirk winnock -
bairns mak mappie sheddaes




light through
the church window -
children make rabbit shadows

on ma wa
ma retiral mindin
tinglin the oors...the saiconts




on my wall
my retiral gift
chiming the hours...the seconds

guidwife doverin -
muinlicht
spreid on the bed




wife asleep -
moonlight
spread on the bed

craw -
a derk thocht
kythes i the mind




crow -
a dark thought
enters the mind