peerie dub
tellyscope
tae the heivens




tiny puddle
telescope
to the heavens

a fund key -
a nock
braks's lown




a found key -
a clock
breaks his silence

a dowie tooter -
new orleans kens
...Haiti




a sad cornet -
new orleans knows
...Haiti

burn in spate -
a reid baw boabbin
airtin fir sundoon




flooded stream -
a red ball bobbing
heading for sunset

wheelchair bund
she flees'r draigon -
her sowl toves




wheelchair bound
she flies her kite -
her soul soars

waukened
snaw-shuils scartin
thrawin sidelins the hap




wakened
snow-shovels scraping
throwing aside the blanket

burds craik -
platches o green
throuch the snaw




birds clamour -
patches of green
through the snow

peerie fite dug
tint i the snaw
...follaein a yalla steid




little white dog
lost in the snow
...following a yellow trail

wunter -
a
lang eeshogel




winter -
a
long icicle

towsy dug
baird fou o snaw -
gye lik masel




shaggy dog
beard full of snow -
very like myself

wunterscape -
oan a fite cannas
inker-bleck treen




winterscape -
on a white canvas
ink-black trees

ne'erday
spyog-prents athort the snaw -
towmond o the teeger




new year's day
paw-prints across the snow -
year of the tiger

poinsettia
in the ingle agane
bricht lowes




poinsettia
in the hearth again
bright flames

(Mainichi Daily News)

advent caunle:
gied itsel
tae enlichten




advent candle:
gave itself
to enlighten

craws an maws
a skirlin bourach - gin
aw that's left's a maggie




crows and gulls
a screaming melee - until
all that's left's a magpie

athort the perk
a rowed up snawbaw's derk peth
...fou muin




across the field
a rolled up snowball's dark path
...full moon

wrocht frae tides
oor snawman -
the fou muin hus'm heeldin




made from oceans
our snowman -
the full moon has him leaning

perishin kirk -
frae the meenister's mou
ghaists o Yules bygane




freezing church -
from the minister's mouth
ghosts of Christmasses past

wunter waddin -
bride-fite perks,
a bob o hollin berries




winter wedding -
bride-white fields,
a posy of holly berries

bleckie -
frae burd-bath tae burd-bath
fundin anerly snaw




blackbird -
from bird-bath to bird-bath
finding only snow

snawman -
fir craw a mindin:
carrot een




snowman -
for crow a gift:
carrot eyes

bath-watter gurlin
doon the jaw-hole -
the hoose less lanely




bath-water gurgling
down the plug-hole -
the house less lonely

furst onfaw
... seelant
swan




first snowfall
... silent
swan

hoaspice veesitin oor -
agane,
the wappin beds




hospice visiting hour -
again,
the enormous beds

saicont snaw shour -
fouin a jeegsaw's
amissin pairts




second snow shower -
filling a jigsaw's
missing pieces

blinterin lunt -
hure: her neb a
mamentary brichtness




flickering match -
prostitute: her face a
momentary brightness

oot frae jeelin rouk:
a chiel
makkin rouk




out from freezing fog:
a man
making fog

spate quallt -
i the glaur a deid tod
his bunt yin gentie straik




flood abated -
in the mud a dead fox
his tail one elegant stroke

Yule lichts -
on the gean tree
jeelt sparks




Christmas lights -
on the cherry tree
frozen raindrops

furst tae wauken:
liggin hearkenin
tae'r drame




first to waken:
lying listening
to her dream

speirins o a daith -
the nicht the muin an e
baith i thair founess




news of a death -
tonight the moon and he
both in their fullness

fou muin:
preese tae gae intil
the fite gairden




full moon:
press to enter
the white garden

rodside siesta -
sin
amang the leemons




roadside siesta -
sun
among the lemons

ower the kirkyaird waa
a lown sey
boatties at rist




over the churchyard wall
a calm sea
boats at rest

bodachs
gove seywarts -
skimmer i thair een




old men
gaze seawards -
glitter in their eyes

leaves faw
ontae the puil
pianissimo




leaves fall
onto the pool
pianissimo

thair laddie deid
...aye settin the brod
fir threy




their son dead
...still setting the table
for three

tichtenin bowts
oan the ferris wheel:
fankilt skirls lowsit




tightening bolts
on the ferris wheel:
trapped screams freed

Yule treen
daikert - reid
aipples hing i the orchard




Christmas trees
decorated - red
apples hang in the orchard

daunerin oot
wi thair new bairn -
oosie cluds panderin




strolling out
with their new baby -
fluffy clouds drifting

throuch the treen
the wund
threipin an aul sang




through the trees
the wind
telling an old story

tirran's smirk -
glent
o pikit weer




tyrant's smile -
glint
of barbed wire

freest -
follaein a sinblink
throuch skitie causeys




frost -
following a sunbeam
through slippery streets

swans -
twa cailleachs
blether




swans -
two old ladies
gossip

abuin the burn:
troot's
siller simmersets




above the stream:
trout's
silver somersaults

leaves jyne
fern year's leaves -
maitin the ruit




leaves join
last year's leaves -
feeding the root

hallae e'en
ghaist at the winnock
...fou muin




halloween
ghost at the window
...full moon

equinox:
wund belts a drum
sinflooers ligg druckenly




equinox:
wind beats a drum
sunflowers lie drunkenly

brennin leaves -
reek
thratchin




burning leaves -
smoke
writhing

rodden tree
ableeze
...hearkenin fir Goad's vice





rowan tree
ablaze
...listening for God's voice

cluds haud by -
the windae-cleaner
scoors ilk ane




clouds pass by -
the window-cleaner
scrubs each one

wine an watter
fusperin
intae the chalice




wine and water
whispering
into the chalice

tuscan fooneral:
the bell's slaw chord
...dreepin




tuscan funeral:
the bell's slow chord
...dripping

cypresses -
muckle kirk
on the brae




cypresses -
cathedral
on the hill

a belly-rive
o faw'n fegs -
maukies' rhyme




a feast
of fallen figs -
bluebottles' drone

bomb land
roostie girders skewed
hairst treen




bomb site
rusty girders twisted
autumnal trees

oot frae sheddae
swan's glister -
...jeelous day muin




out from shadow
swan's brilliance -
...jealous day moon

tin tooter blues -
a drouthy boaks
intae the troke bucket




tin horn blues -
a drunk vomits
into the litter-bin

dauncin i the err
haun in haun
...lowpin intae heiven




dancing in the air
hand in hand
...jumping into heaven

(for two young girls)

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