voar weet -
brattlin o cheers
frae the plainstanes cafe




spring rain -
clattering of chairs
from the pavement cafe


(first place Sketchbook kukai)

wizzent burn
stanes
fite banes




dried-up stream
stones
white bones

burdsang
tummlin frae the tree
gean flourish




birdsong
tumbling from the tree
cherry blossom

swan
happit in a sloom -
panderin muin




swan
wrapped in sleep -
drifting moon

scaffolder
thrang amang's branderin
...craw reddin rice




scaffolder
busy amongst his tubes
...crow arranging twigs

magnolia tree
throuch the winnock
caunleabrum




magnolia tree
through the window
candelabrum

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




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


(2nd place Caribbean kukai #12)

tai chi
aneath the treen -
the hern hings on yin tram




tai chi
beneath the trees -
the heron balances on one leg

wark sang:
bummers souch
throuch the gairden




work song:
bees drone
through the garden

the hameless wifie
trauchles -
pokes fou o wund




the homeless lady
trudges -
bags full of wind

deid tod -
wund herps
throuch its banes




dead fox -
wind harps
through its bones

tentie
o the turtles soomin -
monks' bauldie-heids




watching
the turtles swimming -
monks' bald heads

aneath'r,
twa eggs:
swans fir anither makar




beneath her,
two eggs:
swans for another poet

gean flourish -
pluffs o braith
oan the mornin err




cherry blossom -
puffs of breath
on the morning air

the bodach
cuiterin's hingower -
pikie sheddaes on the burn




the old man
nursing his hangover -
jagged shadows on the stream

fankilt agin the lozen:
bummer's feem
fous the chaumer




trapped against the pane:
bee's anger
fills the room

agin a blae back-drap -
yin clud
ackin monie pairts




against a blue back-drop -
one cloud
acting many parts

cluds stourin -
the auld collie
bowfin




clouds racing -
the old sheepdog
barking

muin
i the burn
...pirlin banjo




moon
in the stream
...rippling banjo

crippilt bairn hauds's
palm-corse tae the licht
...hings on'ts sheddae




crippled child holds his
palm-cross to the light
...hangs on its shadow

(Palm Sunday)

a peerie shaw -
weet an birks
souchin thegither




a tiny grove -
rain and birches
singing together

furst gean flourish -
blate straiks
o reid




first cherry blossom -
shy streaks
of red

the dentist's gairden
thirlin -
ruits o the auld aik




the dentist's garden
quivering -
roots of the old oak

dreich mornin
bit fir a joug o blitheness:
daffins




depressing morning
but for a jug of joy:
daffodils

aises
on ma broo
the priest's snell thoum




ashes
on my forehead
the priest's cold thumb

(winner Caribbean Kukai #11)

mairch wunds
booin
the bodach




march winds
bending
the old man

leddies
i thair burkas
roon the cosmetic coonter




ladies
in their burkas
round the cosmetic counter

labster fishers
argie-bargie -
a poke o cleuks




lobster fishermen
arguing -
a bag of claws

forleetit scuil -
voar flooers'
shooglin nebs




derelict school -
spring flowers'
jostling faces

muinlicht
throuch the winnock
fouin a bleck bra




moonlight
through the window
filling a black bra

bawdrons dernin -
amang the snawdraps
yin siller bell




cat hiding -
among the snowdrops
one siver bell

throuch palm leaves:
the sin
in sclices




through palm leaves:
the sun
in slices

bi the herbour:
beached baits
fush oot o watter




by the harbour:
beached boats
fish out of water

ootby the bulraing
waff
o hamburger




outside the bullring
smell
of hamburger

she greets
wi'r
mizzlin snawman




she weeps
with
her melting snowman

mizzlin snaw -
the burn slawly
sclims the hern's shanks




melting snow -
the stream slowly
climbs the heron's legs


(winner Sketchbook kukai: melting snow)

blue bonnet tinglin
the wund-bells:
his refleckshun




blue tit tinkling
the wind-bells:
his reflection

voar sin -
jeelt articles
lintin




spring sun -
frozen things
relaxing

snawdraps
skimmer -
strinkilt muinlicht




snowdrops
glitter -
scattered moonlight

sabbath bells -
bairns stour
fir the ice-cream van




sunday bells -
children race
for the ice-cream van

bi the watterside:
sumyin's braith
hauden in a yalla balloon




by the riverside:
someone's breath
held in a yellow balloon

furst
daffin pikes
win forrit




first
daffodil spears
advance

deezie
in a roond o nirls:
the bairn




dizzy
in a circle of crumbs:
the child

bygaun parawd -
Miss Voar
wi'r green fingernails




passing parade -
Miss Spring
with her green fingernails

it the uncos:
jalouse
a page o blaest blues




at the news:
imagine
a page of bluest blues


(for Hortensia)

humphed tattie-bogle
syne sappie daundie:
hern the muckle guiser




hunched ragamuffin
then sleek dandy:
heron the great mummer

anither onfaw -
reid rab's peerie leam
beeks




another snowfall -
the robin's tiny glow
warms

the drumlie lassie's
oorie skirls -
petals trummle i the vause




the troubled girl's
chilling screams -
petals tremble in the vase

she cycles by
her wheels aglister -
sin an muin i the lift




she cycles past
her wheels aglitter -
sun and moon in the sky

fou muin
at the winnock -
the bairn sooks'r mulk




full moon
at the window -
the child sucks her milk

the pallbearers:
nae scrum
sae tichtly bund




the pallbearers:
no scrum
so tightly bound


(for Bill McLaren 1923-2010
rugby commentator and Gentleman)

at the winnock:
craw spreids a weeng
o derk pens




at the window:
crow spreads a wing
of dark quills

hyacinths
bowlie tae the licht -
the crippilt laddie reflecks




hyacinths
bent to the light -
the crippled boy ponders

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