voar
greening
the burn




spring
greening
the stream

pish-the-beds  -
universe
o sins an muins




dandelions  -
universe
of suns and moons

i the derkness
the puppieteer snites towes:
bairns lauch...greit




in the darkness
the puppeteer tweaks strings:
children laugh ...cry

fou muin...
granny's
pandrops




full moon...
grandmother's
pandrops

the blin chiel
screedin aff the braille
o's apened flooers




the blind man
reading the braille
of his opened flowers

in's gairden
the dozed sailboat
...he aye drames yit




in his garden
the rotting sailboat
...he still dreams on

maws skirlin
sey runchin shalls -
ma buik o shanties




gulls keening
sea grinding shells -
my book of shanties

on the altar
caunles lowe
...yalla roses




on the altar
candles flame
...yellow roses

throuch's lace hinger
ma neebor
...attercap




through his lace curtain
my neighbour
...spider

watter in spate
stoorin
tae tryst wi the lift...agane




swollen river
racing
to meet with the sky...again

mornin
o the fooneral
bluebells




morning
of the funeral
bluebells

oot
frae the cosmic core
this peerie burd cheetlin




out
from the cosmic core
this tiny bird chirping

cancer  - 
his spaul bleds:
angels' weengs sprootin




cancer  -
his shoulder blades:
angels' wings sprouting

bleckie's
jeckit embryo  -
murtherin maggie




blackbird's
discarded embryo  -
murdering magpie

a mornin
o pink dubs
alang gean-tree rod




a morning
of pink puddles 
along cherry-tree road

abuin kirkyaird brae
cluds
heavin, shiftin




above cemetery hill
clouds
rising, transforming

gean orchard  -
cumuli-fou
lift




cherry orchard  -
cumuli-filled
sky

intae the mools
a rose  -
twa sonnets ower




into the grave
a rose  -
two stories ended

i the gairden
the gean tree
...learnin




in the garden
the cherry tree
...teaching

fou muin  -
fite lowe
o the paschal caunle




full moon  -
white flame
of the paschal candle

intae the gairden
a gled  -
stramash o weengs




into the garden
a hawk  -
cacaphony of wings

hoaspice flooers  -
thair sheddaes
sprauchlin nar




hospice flowers  -
their shadows
creeping closer

suddent sherp wund  -
the daffins
skew awa




sudden sharp wind  -
the daffodils
turn away

fitba i the perk  -
daffins an croci
prood i thair colours




football in the park  -
daffodils and croci
proud in their colours

ma baurber
soops me doon
...aumond flourishins faw




my barber
brushes me down
...almond blossom falls

derk cluds  -
craws gang doon
on the burd-brod




dark clouds  -
crows descend
on the bird-table

bride posin
bi the watterside  -  a swan
gaes intil the derk burn




bride posing
on the riverbank  -  a swan
enters the dark stream

voar' green nebs  -
we gaither roon
the bairn's furst scan pictur




spring's green tips  -
we gather round
baby's first scan picture

fou muin  -
doverin, her wyvin faws
rowes oot the door




full moon  -
dozing, her knitting falls
rolls out the door

a laddie wins awa  -
back i the gairden
a trummlin brainch




a son emigrates  -
back in the garden
a trembling branch

throuch brainches  -
the sin sneddin
sheddaes oot o the freest




through branches  -
the sun cutting
shadows out of the frost

fou muin  -
wunter treen streek oot
fleggin the bairns




full moon  -
winter trees stretch out
frightening the children

in a hinmaist
leam o sinlicht
speuggie beeks hissel




in a last
ray of sunlight
sparrow warms himself

artic wunds  -
reid rab
wi's reid gravat




artic winds  -
robin
with his red scarf

Bethlehem bairns
daff at bools
glowert at throuch corsherrs




Bethlehem children
play marbles
watched through crosshairs

fou muin  -
the blin chiel's crummock
proggin




full moon  -
the blind man's stick
probing

bi the blawn-doon
T.V. aerial
snail  -  his antenny proggin




by the blown-down
T.V. aerial
snail  -  his antenna probing

blowster  -
'guid mornin' smirk
blawn awa




Gale  -
'good morning' smile
blown away

tai chi 
poussin tuimness
...sweetin




tai chi 
pushing emptiness
...sweating

heelster-gowdie
on the sliddery plainstanes  -
daikert bleck an blae




head-over-heels
on the icy pavement  -
decorated black and blue

blue bonnet  -
wappin
amang the eeshogels




bluetit -
enormous
amongst the icicles

trauchlin hame  -
derk muins o'r crummock
i the snaw




trudging home  -
dark moons of her walking stick
in the snow

skirlin skech  -
auld maw
tint his sey-shanks




screaming scavenger  -
old gull
lost his sea-legs

midnicht express
pewlin
...teuk  a fere tae heiven




midnight express
wailing
...took a friend to heaven

the muezzin crys  -
awbody taks on
the set o incaain




the muezzin calls  -
everybody assumes
the shape of prayer

the cailleach
hauns cuppin the quaich
...curlt hairst leaves




the old lady
hands cupping the chalice
...curled autumnal leaves

For some time I have greatly enjoyed the haiku of the New York Haijin: Jack Galmitz
I was thrilled when Jack asked me if I'd translate some of his stuff, so here we go enjoy!
                               ---------------------------------------


an abandoned lot: weeds tall as men, a shopping cart

a forleetit larach: growthe heich as chiels, a message cairt

an abandoned lot: a water-stained mattress, goldenrod

a forleetit larach: a watter-staint mattrass, gowdenrod

an abandoned lot: Trees of Heaven, auto parts

a forleetit larach: Treen o Heiven, caur brock

an abandoned lot: a large cardboard carton, a cooking pot

a forleetit larach: a muckle cairdboard cairton, a kettle

the moon knows not what it is I'm looking at

the muin disnae ken whit it is am leukin till

dryin nets  -
maws drift athort
... a slaw gemme o chess




drying nets  -
gulls drift across
... a slow game of chess

ten snarls in a towe:
the gangrel wifie's
rosary




ten knots in a string:
the bag-lady's
rosary

armistice day  -
scuil bairns set aff bulbs
...derk trenches




armistice day  -
school children plant bulbs
...dark trenches

lang vaig  -
she wyves the miles intae
a granbairn's shawlie




long journey  -
she crochets the miles into
a grandchild's shawl

cairryin
a posie o petals:
wund roond the kirk




carrying
a bouquet of petals:
wind round the church

a scarlet dawin  -
reid rab hunkers
refleckin




a scarlet dawn  -
the robin sits
reflecting

craws  -
hairst's door sneckin
on roostie baunds




crows  -
autumn's door closing
on rusty hinges

the yirth heizin
in derk swaws  -
wunter plooin




the earth rising
in dark waves  -
winter ploughing

skwurrel
tuimin the burd-brod  -
settin aff a puggie nut ferm




squirrel
emptying the bird-table  -
planting a peanut farm

denner
i the gairden 
maggie Maitre d'




lunch
in the garden 
magpie Maitre d'

747 fleein in
laich ower watter 
...sheddae o a sherk




747 flying in
low over water 
...shadow of a shark

mercat day  -
the deid grumphie
smirkin




market day  -
the dead pig
smiling

a leaf faws  -
chitterin sweels
on the burn




a leaf falls  -
shivering circles
on the stream

blawin bibbles  -
on mither's chaft
preeins brustin




blowing bubbles  -
on mother's cheek
kisses bursting

hairst mornin  -
weet dancin
on the dubs




autumn morning  -
rain dancing
on the puddles

hame, trailin slammachs  -
Wordsworth
trauchilt cluds




home, trailing spiders' webs  -
Wordsworth
trailed clouds

the auld scuil steekit  -
anely the bummers
murmellin a lesson




the old school closed  -
only the bees
murmuring a lesson

rose petals spreidin
at the feet
o the hairst bride




rose petals spreading
at the feet
of the autumn bride

awa frae the stramash
the burn
threips tae me




away from the riots
the stream
talks to me

dischairged sodger 
stravaigs the causeys
stappin anely on the crecks




discharged soldier 
wanders the streets
stepping only on the cracks

herbour dauner  -
the mornin's drave
gawkin at the lan




harbour stroll  -
the morning's catch
staring at the land

a haun muives
i the aul-warl shop winnock
swappin centuries




a hand moves
in the antique - shop window
swopping centuries

abuin the spire
the sin
...sinflooer




above the spire
the sun
...sunflower

geeglin frae
the gairden pairty  -  bummers
ligg stappit wi nectar




giggling
from the garden party  -
bees lie sated with nectar

flichterin
in'r glesses
pages o a thriller




flickering
in her glasses
pages of a thriller

the bodach  -
his dug
daunerin'm




the old man  -
his dog
walking him

maisic rant
weet
ruffin on the tent




music festival
rain
drumming on the tent

yella gowans
lip-fou
o sinlicht




buttercups
brimming
with sunlight

nebs tae the sin  -
faither mither bairns
gowans




faces to the sun  -
father mother children
daisies

sheddae o's dreepin stug  -
hern bydin
fir the cygnets




shadow of his dripping spike  -
heron waiting
for the cygnets

chyngin o the gaird
a ballet
in reid




changing of the guard
a ballet
in red

i the gairden
the bleckie dillin
the bodach's lanesomeness




in the garden
the blackbird soothing
the old man's loneliness

efter the yowe-trummle  -
the braes
fou o mean ghaists




after the sheep-shearing  -
the hills
full of angular ghosts

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