weirin neebors  -
throuch the palin a rose
offerin itsel




warring neighbours  -
through the fence a rose
offering itself

yokit on bi a gang
o speuggies  -  maggie
draps a fite fedder




mugged by a gang
of sparrows  -  magpie
drops a white feather

Voar ferr  -
crans
ding-dangin




Spring fair  -
swifts
helter-skeltering

ahint the graffitied waa:
the kirk's lown 
unscufft...unscuffable




behind the graffitied wall:
the church's silence 
untouched...untouchable

tick tock...
the bombed bairn
pendles on's stilts




tick tock...
the bombed child
pendulums on his crutches

monks
cleedit in fite
pensefu caunles




monks
robed in white
wistful candles

amang the bleck swans
yin fite yin 
muin an cluds




among the black swans
one white one 
moon and clouds

day-daw cushat,
eenin bleckie  -  an atween:
The Magnificat




dawn wood-pigeon,
evening blackbird  -  and between:
The Magnificat


(Clare priory pilgrimage)

maw  -
the fite kinches
o's cantrips




gull  -
the white loops
of his antics

the auld clishmaclaver  -
her mools
narrest the squaiky yett




the old gossip  -
her grave
nearest the squeaky gate

the day I glisked
the yalla gowan's ghaist 
afore it sauntit




today I glimpsed
the dandelion's ghost
before it disappeared

i the priest's gairden
Easter robes
o the fite haw-tree




in the priest's garden
Easter robes
of white hawthorn

alang the burnside
Lenten robes
o purpie lilyoak




along the riverside
Lenten robes
of purple lilac

spadesfou o yirth
lowpin frae a bore  -
sang o the hoddit chiel




shovelsfull of earth
leaping from a hole  -
song of the unseen man

his hameless chiel's neb
hauns threipin tae Goad
the towe streetchin tae heiven




his homeless man's face
hands talking to God
the rope stretching to heaven


(St John Ogilivie by Peter  Howson)

fooneral mornin  -
maws wauken me
wi thair greitin




funeral morning  -
gulls waken me
with their keening

amang the gean tree's
tosie petals
bummers rhapsodize




among the cherry tree's
warm petals
bees rhapsodize

sauch primpin in green  -
oot ower the lugs
i the burn's keekin-gless




willow dressing in green  -
absorbed
in the stream's looking-glass

camellia flourishin  -
a hunner craigs
souchin




camellia blossoming  -
a hundred throats
singing

the claggie spreid
o faw'n fegs  -  wesps
deein clean awa wi't




the sticky spread
of fallen figs  -  wasps
dying ecstatically

daffins
gien as a mindin  -
lowe fir days




daffodils
given as a gift  -
glow for days

watterside forsythia:
lichtin
unnerwatter coves




riverside forsythia:
lighting
underwater caverns

buttery
hings abuin ma apen buik
...flutherin pages




butterfly hovers
above my open book
...fluttering pages

ristin efter chemo
he reflecks:
the gairden's sheeny buds




resting after chemo
he ponders:
the garden's shiny buds

the mornin
souchs voar
awthing swalls




the morning
breathes spring
everything swells

raxin owre
the bealin watters
a brainch o bricht gean buds




stretching over
the raging waters
a branch of bright cherry buds

(for japan's sadness)

mornin tirl -
the wino's tuim bottle
girnin




morning breeze -
the wino's empty bottle
moaning

bleck bawdrons
skews tae leuk -
yalla o daffins




black cat
turns to look -
yellow of daffodils

snell merch wund -
aw airts
the green stobs o voar




bitter march wind -
everywhere
the green spikes of spring

ablow the brig
a lown puil - a dauner
intae the pictur




below the bridge
a still pool - I wander
into the picture

furst gran-bairn -
balloons leasht tae the yett
...swellt chists




first grandchild -
balloons tied to the gate
...swollen chests

i the birk's
bricht brainches a craw's nest:
derk slum




in the birch's
bright branches a crow's nest:
dark slum

voar mornin -
the hedge
chirms fir aw'ts wirth




spring morning -
the hedge
sings for all its worth

the auld fushwife
sits steekin -
her siller needle dertin




the old fishwife
sits sewing -
her silver needle darting

valentine's day -
a furst daffin
apens its hert




valentine's day -
a first daffodil
opens its heart

oot frae the x-ray dept.
intae the sin
...an apened flooer




out from the x-ray dept.
into the sun
...an opened flower

linn -
throuch the pearl's rouk
the bodach skews




waterfall -
through the cataract's mist
the old man squints

chitterin
amang the snawdraps:
the coot's bunt




flickering
among the snowdrops:
the coot's tail

'plowp'
o a stane drapt
...whaur the makar gaed ablow




'plop'
of a stone dropped
...where the poet went under

lichtnin
laggin
on the snawdraps




lightning
lingering
on the snowdrops

twa craws
dice up ilk ither:
graithin fir voar




two crows
preen each other:
dressing for spring

faither's but-an-ben
aw sticks an staves -
fusslin i the wund




father's cottage
in ruins -
whistling in the wind

weir-riven ceetie -
oot ower the flagpole
maw spreids'r fite weengs




war-torn city -
on top of the flagpole
gull spreads her white wings

in yin ivvergreen
backlan:
maggis,craws,bleckies,maws




in one evergreen
tenement:
magpies,crows,blackbirds,gulls

tapsalteerie blue bonnet
tentie
o the tapsalteerie makar




upsidedown blue tit
watching
the upsidedown poet

fou muin -
licht
at the en o the cundie




full moon -
light
at the end of the tunnel

wund throuch
the bombed-oot hames -
dowie chanter




wind through
the bombed-out homes -
sad flute

the bodach
hirples alang -
bonnie kirstals growe in's bluid




the old man
hobbles along -
beautiful crystals grow in his blood

cluds,
wund wirkit
...thunner o cluifs




clouds,
wind herded
...thunder of hooves

en
o a vaige upstream:
speirins o a hamecomin




end
of a journey upstream:
news of a birth

throu the fooneral:
the soun o mizzlin frost
jynin the muckle burn




during the funeral:
the sound of melting ice
joining the great stream

kirk swaree -
the crippilt cailleach
dauncin




church social -
the crippled lady
dancing

wunter lift
panderin
amang the firs




winter sky
drifting
amongst the pines

ne'erday -
a dub o boak
i the set o africa




new year's day -
a puddle of vomit
in the shape of africa

bawdrons goves at the muin -
a bead o mulk
hingin frae's fuskers




cat stares at the moon -
a bead of milk
hanging from his whiskers

fou muin:
agin'ts screen
the nakit treen thrawin



full moon:
against its screen
the naked trees writhing

bleckie's gowd neb
doubling
...sally-ann tooter




blackbird's gold beak
trilling
...salvationist cornet

Yule snaw -
ilk tree
beirin'ts brither




Christmas snow -
each tree
bearing its brother

on an eenin brainch
reid rab tentie o the sin
its reid breist




on an evening branch
a robin watches the sun
its red breast

thowe -
i the gairden
the treen haud forrit




thaw -
in the garden
the trees step forward

the tide's stramash
heesht tae a dreep:
eeshogels




the ocean's crashing
muted to a drip:
icicles

on the steppin-stane
snaw haipt heich
...doverin hern




on the stepping-stone
snow piled high
...sleeping heron

midnicht
staunin
in a snaw-lit chaumer




midnight
standing
in a snow-lit room

cannie speuggie:
able tae stravaig
the deep snaw's scruif




lucky sparrow:
able to the wander
the deep snow's crust

snaw -
the treen
aw yin flourish




snow -
the trees
all one blossom

furst snaw -
the siller birks
cleidit in new cots




first snow -
the silver birches
dressed in new coats

throuch nakit treen
the auld cou goves:
antlered




through naked trees
the old cow stares:
antlered

hairst's towl...
sheuch fou o leaves
airteries claggin




autumn's toll...
drains full of leaves
arteries clogging

furst freest -
warslin dugs
in a trinnlin clud o braith


first frost -
wrestling dogs
in a rolling cloud of breath

armistice day -
the reid maple
liggs its wreath




armistice day -
the red maple
lays its wreath

gloamin
nakit treen
hairst calligraphy




dusk
naked trees
autumn calligraphy

i the causey dubs
hooses trummle
... an incaain fir Haiti




in the street's puddles
houses tremble
...a prayer for Haiti

heavin
frae the perk bink
the hameless chiel castin leaves




rising
from the park bench
the homeless man shedding leaves

hallae e'en -
in's scary fause face
feart o the derk




halloween -
in his scary mask
afraid of the dark

freest mizzlin -
day muin
dwines intae the cluds




frost melting -
day moon
disappears into the clouds

i the muinlicht
fawin leaves
...derk sterns




in the moonlight
falling leaves
...dark stars

faw'n leaves -
bairns hove thaim liftwarts
an rin throuch thair fawin




fallen leaves -
children toss them skywards
and run through their falling

ceilidh -
throuch the herp strings
the weedie's begrutten neb




recital -
through the harp strings
the widow's tear-stained face

hairst sinlicht -
beasties an stour
daunce in a leam




autumn sunlight -
insects and dust
dance in a beam

swans gaither
...bit the day the bodach
maits the wirms




swans gather
...but today the old man
feeds the worms

eller berries -
bleck een
atween the leaves




elder berries -
beady eyes
between the leaves

hairst -
the skep's putt
gaein cannie




autumn -
the beehive's pulse
slowing down

chessie shall -
the duntit bed
whaur the conker liggit




chestnut shell -
the dented bed
where the nut lay

hern i the weet -
a fireflaucht glent
... wammlin troot




heron in the rain -
a lightning flash
... wriggling trout

pheelosophie cless -
ootby the winnock
a monkey-puzzle tree




philosophy class -
outside the window
a monkey-puzzle tree

hairst wund -
the owerturnin leaves
o the gospel




autumn wind -
the turning leaves
of the gospel


(The Pope's Mass in Scotland 2010)

hairst -
the maister spreids's
orange hap




autumn -
the master spreads his
orange robe

her alsatian
chattles ma fingers:
prees the dree




her alsatian
nibbles my fingers:
tastes the fear

mornin haar -
atween the treen
attercap's ghaistly brig




morning mist -
between the trees
spider's ghostly bridge

i the perk
craws pikein faw'n aipples
...cooried junkies




in the park
crows spiking fallen apples
...huddled junkies

...gaislins
haud by
i thair fedder boatties




...goslings
pass by
in their feather boats

auld freen -
oxterin'm
oor banes bairge




old friend -
embracing him
our bones collide

his neb
tint in's baird -
een blae eggs in a nest




his face
lost in his beard -
eyes blue eggs in a nest

ower the palin
ma neebor's sinflooer
...freenly neb




over the fence
my neighbour's sunflower
...friendly face

festival rackets -
hedder-reenges
bleemin




festival fireworks -
hydrangeas
blooming

WANTIN:
a tattie-bogle -
maggies reivin the plooms




WANTED:
a scarecrow -
magpies stealing the plums

furst o oor
hamelt aipples:
oor nebs thrawn




first of our
home-grown apples:
our faces contorted

midnicht -
sirius thrabbin
a dug yowlin




midnight -
sirius pulsing
a dog barking

tiggin's kist -
i the derk wuid
luvin een




touching his coffin -
in the dark wood
loving eyes

the scriddan
gudgin-oot the cleuch -
a butterie jigs throuch




the torrent
gouging-out the gorge -
a butterfly dances through