hairst mornin -
racin bawdrons
fir the sinny cheer




autumn morning -
racing cat
for the sunny chair

bodach
in's walkin-frame -
sheddae o an attercap




old man
in his walking-frame -
shadow of a spider

abuin
a wizzent shank
the peerie bairn's smirk




above
a withered stalk
the tiny child's smile

cluds riven -
on the burn
blae cloots




clouds torn apart -
on the stream
blue patches

cicadas
deepenin
the wuid's lown




cicadas
deepening
the forest's silence

(3rd place sketchbook kukai: cicadas)

efter the fleed:
treen hingit
wi fremmit flourish




after the flood:
trees hung
with strange blossom

jazz club
dung doon -
the wund greetin-faced




jazz club
demolished -
the wind moaning

leaf snaggit
on a wab-threid -
hairst draigon




leaf caught
on a web-thread -
autumn kite

brustin throuch a wab:
the postie
bringin uncos




bursting through a web:
the postman
bringing news

efter
the delvin's duin:
furst Reid Rab




after
the digging's done:
a first robin

hingin on blae weengs
the hern draps
intae the makar's mind




hanging on blue wings
the heron drops
into the poet's mind

aff tae weir:
his dwinin set
bouk o a bullet hole




off to war:
his fading shape
size of a bullet hole

i the dentist's
wytin chaumer:
a gawpin reid rose




in the dentist's
waiting room:
a gaping red rose

dubs:
makkin a jeegsaw
o the lift




puddles:
making a jigsaw
of the sky

weet agane -
snail an son
sloom athort the winnock




rain again -
snail and son
chasse across the window

traffic scooryin -
dubs lowp
clap tae bygaun fowk




traffic racing -
puddles leap
cling to passers-by

dreich day -
lairnin tae yaise'r wand
the blin cailleach's smirk
spreids




dull day -
learning to use her cane
the blind lady's smile
spreads

fou muin
...ma tae keeks oot
frae a rive i ma hose




full moon
...my toe peeps out
from a hole in my sock

sneddin buddleia -
the midden
snowkin douce




pruning buddleia -
the compost heap
smelling sweet

hairst
blawin in -
pish-the-bed's hinmaist day




autumn
blowing in -
dandelion clock's last day

meditation chaumer
latecomer
tuim mind craiks




meditation room
latecomer
empty mind creaks

doontoon tooter -
ghaists daunce
a whilie




downtown trumpet -
ghosts dance
a while

puddock plowpin
intae the dub
steerin the sterns




frog plopping
into the pond
disturbing the stars

athort the watter
a daunce-baund:
kipples fushtail an snuve




across the river
a dance-band:
couples fishtail and glide

licht reflecks
frae the Guid Buik -
the altar-laddie's neb sheens




light reflects
from the open bible -
the altar-boy's face shines

Kirstenin mornin -
the clematis
strinkles me wi draps




Christening morning -
the clematis
sprinkles me with drops

sweelin wund
feezin aff
the flourishins




swirling wind
unscrewing
the blossoms

watterside treen
cowpt -
fush throuch the brainches




riverside trees
toppled -
fish through the branches

derk watter -
frae a burd
a hert-brakkin sang




dark river -
from a bird
a heart-breaking song

(for Billie Holiday)

furst tryst -
mither's weir-pent
ower's plooks




first date -
mother's make-up
over his acne

steerin
a wesp's byke - skirls
frae the slawest rinner




disturbing
a wasp's nest - screams
from the slowest runner

causey
o duntin umberellaes -
burn o bricht wrack




street
of bumping umbrellas -
stream of bright flotsam

a peerie dug
bowfin
at the wund




a tiny dog
barking
at the wind

a train dirls ower
the airches - hameless
he drames anither life




a train rattles over
the arches - homeless
he dreams anither life

drave boats -
maws
ruggin the err apairt




herring boats -
gulls
tearing the air apart

muinlit vennel -
a wab
o glentin wires




moonlit alley -
a web
of glittering needles

butteries in a raw -
a conga
throuch the gairden




butterflies in a line-
a conga
through the garden

athort the rose petal
yalla beads rowe
...plash transparently




across the rose petal
yellow beads roll
...cascade transparently

auld attercap
wirkin'r wab -
granny wyevin




old spider
working her web -
grandmother knitting

kestin'r breid
the swan wins tae'r -
doontoon Leda




casting her bread
the swan comes to her -
downtown Leda

bikinis
i the gairden
aipples beamin




bikinis
in the garden
apples blushing

mornin incaains
threidin throuch
the maw-greit




morning prayers
threading through
the gull-cry

'FOGGIES' GAIRDEN' -
flooers
cum an gane




'VETERANS' GARDEN' -
flowers
come and gone

muin atween the cluds -
a fite bawdrons
snuves ahint the fence




moon between the clouds -
a white cat
glides behind the fence

tuim wine-bottle -
snail
fir a cork




empty wine-bottle -
snail
for a cork

weet hauds a wee -
crans
gae heelster gowdie




a break in the rain -
swifts
loop-the-loop

muinlicht
on the pianny keys -
sheddies i the hauf-notes




moonlight
on the piano keys -
shadows in the half-notes

eller berries
baggit bricht
...speuggies' een




elder berries
bulging bright
...sparrows' eyes

wund throuch the treen -
the raggit lip
o a bleckie's sang




wind through the trees -
the ragged edge
of a blackbird's song

glaizie
i the burd-bath:
lest nicht's onding




glittering
in the bird-bath:
last night's downpour

ootby the exam-ha
the passion flooer's
wimples




outside the exam-hall
the passion flower's
intricacies

swallt
burn:
tidesfou




swollen
stream:
oceansfull

maws fechtin
the wund -
fedders fawin




gulls fighting
the wind -
feathers falling

simmer hoalidays -
camp-lowe reek
heavin tae the muin




summer vacation -
camp-fire smoke
rising to the moon


(winner: Carribean kukai #5:summer vacation)

retiral -
tentie o aipples
eydently reiddenin




retired -
watching apples
busy reddening

faw'n rose petal -
a peerie eemock
sclims a reid muntain




fallen rose petal -
a tiny ant
climbs a red mountain

muin-cowpit
rug -
a swan howdin




moon-tilted
tide -
a swan rocking

hail watter -
the hameless chiel's
wattered-doon bree




torrents of rain -
the homeless man's
watered-down soup

lown dub
a peerie petal faws -
a chitter throuchoot...




still pool
a tiny petal falls -
a shiver throughout...

monastery gairden -
sinflooers'
heids cowpit




monastery garden -
sunflowers'
heads bent


(winner sketchbook kukai: sunflowers)

a lane bummer
stravaigs
the stoundin flourishins




a solitary bee
wanders
the aching blossoms

gentie deuk -
aneath the scruif
radge paiddlin




elegant duck -
beneath the surface
furious paddling

barfit bairns -
ower het stanes
a peerie jeeg




barefoot children -
over hot stones
a little jig

tipperin
atween the cluds:
hern




tip-toeing
between the clouds:
heron

rose
bleemin
...quate pluff




rose
blooming
...silent explosion

deid i the girse
a bummer - its weengs
gildin ma fingers




dead in the grass
a bee - its wings
gilding my fingers

bleckie chirmin
throuch the treen
a burn




blackbird trilling
through the trees
a stream

oot frae the haar
a swan
furmin




out from the mist
a swan
forming


(Mainichi Daily News)

a singul cran
makkin a circus
o the mornin




a single swift
making a circus
of the morning

the yett's sheddae:
JYLE
scrievit i the sin's licht




the gate's shadow:
PRISON
written in the sun's light

whaur the watter
trysts wi the lift:
swans an cluds




where the river
meets the sky:
swans and clouds

swan keeks
abuin'r weeng
...fantoosh dauncer




swan peeps
above her wing
...exotic dancer

the bodach rists -
tentie o the funtain
heavin an fawin




the old man rests -
watches the fountain
rising and falling

i the smusht
yill bottle:
the drouthie's brucken neb




in the smashed
beer bottle:
the drunk's broken face

furst nasturtiums
keekin:
thair reid nebs




first nasturtiums
peeping:
their red faces

murners win awa -
beadles crack on fitbaw
duntin sheelfous o cley




mourners leave -
gravediggers talk football
thumping shovelfulls of clay

her furst
bakit breid -
swallin wi pride




her first
baked bread -
swelling with pride

pink balloons
yerkin tae be lowsit
...speengies




pink balloons
tugging to be free
...peonies

ablow me
swans pickin
it ma sheddae's pooches




below me
swans pecking
at my shadow's pockets

dementia -
he hunkers i the mids
o a skailt jeegsaw




dementia -
he sits in the midst
of a scattered jigsaw

anither haijin gane -
sauch leaves
dreepin




another haijin gone -
willow leaves
dripping

(for Paul O. Williams and James Kirkup)

cleedit fir tennis -
weet
stottin atween thaim




dressed for tennis -
rain
bouncing between them

throuch the gairden
on'r mobile phone -
a wab claps tae'r




through the garden
on her mobile phone -
a web clings to her

airlie Mass -
the kist o whustles
pechin




early Mass -
the organ
wheezing

atween the pages
a deid flee -
a sneckit buik




between the pages
a dead fly -
a closed book

crans
mair swith
this towmond




swifts
swifter
this year

on the clartie burn
swans
daizzlin




on the muddy stream
swans
dazzling

her pianny -
stour
on the keys




her piano -
dust
on the keys

cluds
creepin nar -
gey lik a weir




clouds
creeping closer -
just like a war

snail's
mindin i the nicht -
glaizie necklace




snail's
gift in the night -
glittering necklace

furst day o simmer -
yella gowan tassies
fou o sinlicht




first day of summer -
buttercup cups
full of sunlight

ikebana
on the altar
treenity o carnations




ikebana
on the altar
trinity of carnations

the wund
cleedin'm in clouts -
humphed hern




the wind
dressing him in rags -
hunched heron

in the green tae
her mongolian een -
the tassie's lip her smirk




in the green tea
her mongolian eyes -
the cup's rim her smile

throuch the weet:
maws skirlin
the ceetie fissin




through the rain:
gulls screaming
the city hissing

sin slumpin -
anither heid
amang the puppies




sun sinking -
another head
among the poppies

fundin a sinblink
the dug birls itsel
intae a drame




finding a sunbeam
the dog spins itself
into a dream

fireflaucht
jinkin doon the brae
fite gaits




lightning
zigzagging down the mountain
white goats

ablow the kirk winnock
the priest
stauns in a wattergaw




below the church window
the priest
stands in a rainbow

oot frae's mools
ugsome thrissels:
mools o the torterer




out from his grave
horrendous thistles:
grave of the torturer