seeven skire airches
striddlin:
wattergaw




seven coloured arches
striding:
rainbow

(after Andy Goldsworthy)

i the nicht lift
the semaphore
o sterns




in the night sky
the semaphore
of stars

in a stertle
o yalla -
daffins




in a startle
of yellow -
daffodils

bleckoot -
the caunle lowe's
radgie daunce




power failure -
the candle flame's
sexy dance

nakit treen -
a beamer
o green




naked trees -
a blush
of green

derk watters -
a furst fush lowps
frae the dramein drave




dark waters -
a first fish leaps
from the dreaming shoal

craw's tellin:
'maggies' -
neebourheid rype-pooches




crow's warning:
'magpies' -
neighbourhood pick-pockets

maws tulyie
fawin fedders
o snaw




gulls squabble
falling feathers
of snow

the eild o shauchlin -
sneckin frae the slae
a stieve nibbie




the age of shuffling -
cutting from the blackthorn
a sturdy stick

auld buits -
sonnet o a vaig
in ilk runkle




old boots -
tale of a journey
in each wrinkle

throuch the gless
a furst wesp
...gyte it ma finger




through the glass
a first wasp
...rages at my finger

hame
tae a reeng o bricht nebs:
pinkies




home
to a ring of bright faces:
primroses

weshin
at fou sail -
merch wund's bumfelt chowks




washing
at full sail -
march wind's puffed cheeks

granny's tuim hoose -
heicht-merks
scartit on the standart




grandmother's empty cottage -
height-marks
scratched on the door-post

voar watters -
the priest hidlinswise
daubs's rheums




spring waters -
the priest secretly
dabs his rheumatism

follaein
the coorse o the sin -
the auld dug pechs




following
the sun's course -
the old dog pants

frae lowe
an dashin atoms
...doverin i the boo o ma airm




from fire
and clashing atoms
...asleep in the crook of my arm

clabbydhus
on the leet:
thair seelant skirlin




mussels
on the menu:
their silent screaming

tentie o the sea
runklin the strand -
disjaskit




watching the sea
wrinkling the shore -
feeling my age

valentine's day -
the priest's
mis-airtit mail




valentine's day -
the priest's
mis-directed mail

agein faither -
cleidit
in crottles o fuid




ageing father -
dressed
in fragments of food

dreepin brainch -
a bead it a tyme
bleckie dichts hissel




dripping branch -
a bead at a time
blackbird washes himself

abuin the swaws
lown o a lane

maw




above the waves
calm of a solitary

gull

on gruein watters
swans' gentiness
...waarmin




on icy waters
swans' elegance
...warming

fouin the feeder -
stour
o speuggies' weengs




filling the feeder -
storm
of sparrows' wings


(Mainichi Daily News)

throu Mass -
the weet's turnt
tae snaw




during Mass -
the rain's turned
to snow

bowsie an brucken
oot wi the troke -
fernyear's dall




bent and broken
out with the trash -
last year's doll

droont i the brandy:
flee
oor furst-fit




drowned in the brandy:
fly
our first-foot

the bairn
bletherin tae me -
brawer nor wurds




the baby
chatting to me -
better than words

lichtin up space:
the super-nova
'HOGMANAY'!




lighting up space:
the super-nova
'HOGMANAY'!

a scrieve hame
desert stoor
slairit




a letter home
desert dust
smudging

pinchin
skwurrel's nits
...hameless an hungert




stealing
squirrel's nuts
...homeless and hungry

echain
throuch the cosmos:
brattles shentin us




echoing
through the cosmos:
gunfire shaming us

cailleach
gaitherin hally
beads o bluid




old lady
gathering holly
beads of blood

throuch a fite lanscape
the bleck burn
...ink o a wunter haiku




through a white landscape
the black stream
...ink of a winter haiku

furst Yule -
forenent the tree
her een chyngin colour




first Christmas -
in front of the tree
her eyes changing colour

wund amang the sprots -
the cailleach
tellin'r beads




wind among the reeds -
the old lady
telling her beads

festival's en -
a lane pipie stauns
sax inch frae the muin




festival's end -
a lone piper stands
six inches from the moon

causies skimmer i the weet -
the hallion's neb
dreeps intae's bucket




cobbles glitter in the rain -
the clown's face
drips into his pail

nicht soonds
fauldit inby
the auld saxyphone




night sounds
at rest inside
the old saxophone

weet bates
on the leaves
hairst rags




rain beats
on the leaves
autumn rags

bag-wifie
orrals o drames
powkin throuch




bag-lady
bits of dreams
poking through

stuckies
reestin
the day's blethers




starlings
roosting
the day's gossip

scuil hoalidays -
granfaither an me
pishin aneath the muin




school holidays -
grandfather and I
pissing beneath the moon

peat lowe -
we hunker, threy glowein nebs
goavin at a fowert




peat fire -
we sit, three glowing faces
gazing at a fourth

deid on the kirk steps
a maggie...
braw in's vestments




dead on the church steps
a magpie...
fine in his vestments

readin Issa...
hunkerin
in a sinblink




reading Issa...
sitting
in a sunbeam

hallowday -
fleggin the postie:
a left-ower bogle




All Saints' day -
frightening the postman:
a left-over ghost

throuch the maple wuid
the lang reid peth
o hairst




through the maple wood
the long red path
of autumn

potter's hauns
wrochtin the tuimness
o's blae joogs




potter's hands
shaping the emptiness
of his blue jugs

lichtin up the scullery:
the pumpkin
bydein a neb




lighting up the kitchen:
the pumpkin
awaiting a face

fleedit causey -
throuch's hoose
reid maple leaves fleit




flooded street -
through his house
red maple leaves float

frae the brig:
clud sets
wrocht o watter




from the bridge:
cloud shapes
made of water

furst freest -
i the sin tentie
o the auld tree souchin




first frost -
in the sun watching
the old tree breathe

thunner
lichtnin
leaves ruffin




thunder
lightning
leaves applauding

mornin wirds -
the monastery bawdrons
gants




morning prayers -
the monastery cat
yawns

aff tae weir -
laggin hait
in's mither's rosary




off to war -
lingering heat
in his mother's rosary

peerie spule
back an fore
gien o'ts sel: attercap




tiny shuttle
back and forth
giving of itself: spider

amang the puppies
a furst reid rab
...a jalouse




among the poppies
a frst robin
...I think

circus in toon -
the lowe-chower's laddie
fair intae's candy-floss




circus in town -
the fire-eater's son
enjoying his candy-floss

day-daw -
mornin glories
unfauldin




dawn -
morning glories
unfolding

newly come hame  - 
sheddaed in her een
a warl yit tae be neemit




new born  -
shadowed in her eyes
a world yet to be named

'Jazz Record Seek'  -
tooters o nasturtium
swey i the gairden




'Jazz Record Requests'  -
trumpets of nasturtium
sway in the garden

Daddy-long-legs i the wab
Gizzent:
Weengs, trams, bouk, yin flet streek




crane fly in the web
sucked dry:
wings, legs, body, one flat line

roses' 
sindert heids
...a braw wreath




roses'
severed heads
...a fine wreath

suddentlie
the soun o laneliness:
whaup on the muir




suddenly
the sound of loneliness:
curlew on the moor

muinless nicht -
i the derk watter
the mudge o sterns




moonless night  -
in the dark river
the movement of stars

curmurrin watter:
a makar takkin tent o
ilka day




murmuring river:
a poet listened to
every day

the aul gairdner
doverin
...wallant rose heids




the old gardener
dozing
...drooping rose heads

maternity dept:
veesitin oor
pink an blae balloons jundie




maternity dept:
visiting hour
pink and blue balloons jostle

babbie snail
reengin
fir'ts hame




baby snail
searching
for its home

the auld scuil  -
natur glunshes the playgrun
binweed pikes the sneck




the old school  -
nature gobbles the playground
bindweed picks the lock

graduation parawd  -
e'en the flooers
raxin thair craigs




graduation parade  -
even the flowers
craning their necks

weedin pish-the-beds  -
his fite heid
amang fite heids




weeding dandelions  -
his white head
amongst white heads

on ilka wa
the graffiti
o sodgers' sheddaes




on every wall
the graffiti
of soldiers' shadows

deid moose  -
yince sae blate
the day landlord tae unco fowk




dead mouse  -
once so shy
today host to strangers

furst granbairn  -
crans wappin dosses
ower the hansel




first grandchild  -
swifts tying bows
over the gift

ablow the meypole
she breist-feeds'r bairn
...cosmic wab




below the maypole
she breast-feeds her child
...cosmic web

on the burn
a bricht wattergaw  -
fume o diesel




on the stream
a bright rainbow  -
smell of diesel

it the sushi coonter
sautit braze  -
myndin her tears




at the sushi counter
salted bream  -
remembering her tears

the ferm-wife's washin
stringit atween twa treen  -
braw bloomers




the farm-wife's washing
strung between two trees  -
fine bloomers

his bluid jinks
throuch the vennel's causies
...seelant syncopation




his blood zigzags
through the cobbled alley
...silent syncopation

(FOR CHET BAKER)

cowpin the rose
tae snowk  -
plowt o rainwatter




tipping the rose
to smell  -
cascade of rainwater

awthing
rowed in sinlicht  -
naethin unforgien




everything
wrapped in sunlight  -
nothing unforgiven

the aul chiel hirples alang  - 
the burn
dookin an heavin




the old man limps along  -
the stream
dipping and rising

sin
throuch the cluds  -
ox-ee gowan




sun
through the clouds  -
ox-eye daisy

olympics  -
awready on the flagpole:
snail




olympics  -
already on the flagpole:
snail

the watter slidders by  -
weet feshin oot
the creepy -crawlies




the river slithers by  -
rain bringing out
the creepy-crawlies

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