cloody day  -
bawdrons
staps on sinlicht




cloudy day  -
cat
steps on sunlight

attercap an me
stookie-still
...snaggit in a wab o wunnerment




spider and I
stock-still
...caught in a web of wonderment

souch  -
tulip petals faw
...peerie boaties shooglin




breeze  -
tulip petals fall
...little boats rocking

wunter fooneral  -
we stoor intae
the crematorium




winter funeral  -
we rush into
the crematorium

mither's day  -
hauflins reid-nebbed
ahint bobs o flooers




mother's day  -
young men blushing
behind bunches of flowers

hame frae weir  -
yin fuitprent
i the snaw




home from war  -
one footprint
in the snow

in granfaither's gairden
a snawman fir'm
...slawly mizzlin




in grandfather's garden
a snowman for him
...slowly disappearing

maitin granfaither  -
the wye
he yince maitit me




feeding grandfather  -
the way
he once fed me

fiteoot  -
intae the tuim flooer pats
snaw/draps




whiteout  -
into the empty flower pots
snow/drops

leukin oot
on the snawy gairden  -
hou it mocks ma scriever's jam




looking out
on the snowy garden  -
how it mocks my writer's block

caum
efter the onding  -
the gairden: muin's keekin-gless




calm
after the blizzard  -
the garden: moon's mirror

liggin i the fedder-linit
kist o'ts sel:
dung doon swan




lying in the feather-lined
coffin of itself:
shot swan

on the shunkie ruif
bawdrons an doo
easy-oasy i the sin




on the outhouse roof
cat and pigeon
lazy in the sun

throuch the tempel winnock
bairnheid lauchter  -
nae mantra mair muckle




through the temple window
childhood laughter  -
no greater mantra

snell wund  -
furst crocuses
comin ower blae




cold wind  -
first crocuses
turning blue

agane
the mornin bleckie  -
the muin taks a hinmaist peep




again
the morning blackbird  -
the moon takes a last peek

the bodach
maits the maws  -
craws glower...set apairt




the old man
feeds the gulls  -
crows watch...segregated

ahint the boatie
sheddae o a swallae
...cleekit




behind the boat
shadow of a swallow
...anchored

bard
on the heichest brainch:
bleckie  -  his ode tae voar




minstrel
on the highest branch:
blackbird  -  his ode to spring

sae cauld  -
e'en inby
daffins skew tae the ingle




so cold  -
even inside
daffodils turn to the fire

caller snaw  -
a rottan rins ower't
...sica grue




fresh snow  -
a rat runs over it
...such a shiver

a clud's
pit its derk fuit
i the burn




a cloud's
put its dark foot
in the stream

heizin
frae a snawy park:
a yowdendrift o maws




rising
from a snowy field:
a blizzard of gulls

voar  -
the luve bomb
redd




spring  -
the love bomb
primed

gloamin  -
i the lift the kinetic
airt o stuckies




sunset  -
in the sky the kinetic
art of starlings

dowie  -
the craw faimily
ettlin tae croon




sad  -
the crow family
trying to sing

day efter the yirdin  -
burds roon
the tuim brod




day after the funeral  -
birds round
the empty feeder

day o'r yirdin
snaw on the brainches
...syne gane




day of her funeral
snow on the branches
...then gone

myndin bygane Yules
she shoogles
the snaw globe...agane




remembering
Christmasses past she
shakes the snow globe...again

heelster-gowdie  -
efter the blowster
a tree staunin  on'ts brainches




topsy-turvy  -
after the storm
a tree standing on its branches

Yule  -
sae monie bubbly-jocks
fellt




Christmas  -
so many turkeys
slaughtered

lichtin caunles  -
she cannae mynd
whae fir




lighting candles  -
she can't remember
who for

swan paunders by...
no tae faise
hern's meditation




swan drifts by...
not to disturb
heron's meditation

Yule  -
on the fir tree blinterin
blue-bunnets




Christmas  -
on the fir tree
flickering blue-tits

Reid Rab
poses on a sprot
...i the winnock, a selfie




the robin
poses on a twig
...in the window, a selfie

tentie o the swans  -
hern
pouin hissel thegither




watching the swans  -
heron
pulling himself together

the caunle
an the fluit
...dervish lowe




the candle
and the flute
...dervish flame

hameless  -
the muin an sterns
his Yule whigmaleeries




homeless  -
the moon and stars
his Christmas baubles

amang stooriein feet
willie-wagtail
...peerie harlequin




amongst rushing feet
wagtail
...little harlequin

yondermaist
the peeriest swans
...flauchts o snaw




in the distance
the tiniest swans
...flakes of snow

burnie-becker  -
in'n oot in'n oot
steekin's wye upstream





dipper  -
in and out in and out
stitching his way upstream

abuin the lums
muin heizes forfochen lik
...anither nicht-yokin




above the chimneys
moon rises wearily
...another night-shift

dayset  -
pink maws
scud an dook




sunset  -
pink gulls
glide and swoop

a bing o leaves  -
licht sheens
frae the monie cheeks




a pile of leaves  -
light shines
from the many facets

in the perk
mynd fou o thochts
a peerie bleck dug rins throuch




in the park
mind full of thoughts
a little black dog runs through

died doo  -
fedders drift
amang the faw'n leaves




dead pigeon  -
feathers drift
among the fallen leaves

hunkert
bi'r carebed
hairst dowes intae wunter




sitting
by her sick bed
autumn slides into winter

fite freest  -
anither year
aulder




white frost  -
another year
older

an on-ding  -
on the plainstanes
an umberellae stramash




heavy rain  -
on the pavement
umbrella collisions

hunkerin
in a sinblink
...space trevellers




sitting
in a sunbeam
...space travellers

maws soom
wi the swans
...an drame




gulls swim
with the swans
...and dream

leaves
croodilt in a neuk  -
soond o thayr chitterin




leaves
huddled in a corner  -
sound of their shivering

craw's tentie
o swan preenin
...sterts preenin




crow watches
swan preening
...starts preening

on the new palin
a furst fetter-lock  -
an F an L snibbit in luve




on the new fence
a first padlock  -
an F and L locked in love

inby the tree's skellet
a stoundin heart  -
speuggie




inside the tree's skeleton
a beating heart  -
sparrow

swans  -
pace an brawness
wrocht frae fedders




swans  -
peace and elegance
made from feathers

swans  -
he fuspers in'r lug
she hysts'r fan




swans  -
he whispers in her ear
she raises her fan

her furst
schuil photy  -
the amissin tuith




her first
school photo  -
the missing tooth

dawin  -
fusher an wabster
seein tae thayr nets




dawn  -
fisherman and spider
checking their nets

swans
sic mense  -  she on pynts,
he arabesque




swans
such elegance  -  she on points,
he arabesque

waasht ashore
a pumpkin heid
...its daithless smirk




washed ashore
a pumpkin head
...its deathless smile

fou muin
stottin
amang the hystin glesses




full moon
bouncing
amongst the raised glasses

hairst wunds  -
the maple stauns
in reid duds




autumn winds  -
the maple stands
in red rags

faw'n leaves  -
hou they lou
tae jouk his besom




fallen leaves  -
how they love
to dodge his broom

wi's guidwilly
umberellae
snail taks tae the rod




with his generous
umbrella
snail walks out

it the kist o whistles  -
he hauns hing
tae re- assemmle the quait




the organist  -
her hands poised
to re-arrange the silence

craws
sin on thayr backs:
a threitenin skimmer




crows
sun on their backs:
a menancing glitter

furst licht
tuscan haar heizes
...the meestery souchs oot




first light
tuscan mist rises
...the mystery exhales

hairst souch
strippin
the sauch




autumn breeze
stripping
the willow

(strip the willow: a lively Scottish dance)

throuch the jyle palin  -
brummles
foostin awa



through the prison fence  -
brambles
rotting away

hairst muin  -
fouin
bawdrons' saucer




harvest moon  -
filling
cat's saucer

the Angelus bell  -
the fairmer
healds on's howe




the Angelus bell  -
the farmer
leans on his hoe

the auld monk's back- stuil
fou
o sinlicht




the old monk's chair
full
of sunlight

throuch the stainit-gless:
licht in a coat
o monie colours




through the stained-glass:
light in a coat
of many colours

on keltert perks
yowes clype
...we coff a fridge magnet




on tilted fields
sheep cling
...we buy a fridge mangnet

efter
meditation oor:
midgie bumps





after
meditation hour:
mosquito lumps

hairst gairdens  -
wuidreek heizes
...chynes o a sweein censer




autumnal gardens  -
woodsmoke rises
...chains of a swaying censer

on the causey
a drapt plectrum  -
croonin frae the treen




on the street
a dropped plectrum  -
singing from the trees

a stoorin moose
a lowpin puddock:
leaf'n wund daffin




a scuttling mouse
a leaping frog:
leaf and wind at play

blae  -
the dowieness
o bowlt streengs




blue  -
the melancholy
of bent strings

pouin rasps
...granfaither's
hungower een




picking raspberries
...grandfather's
hungover eyes

a singul leaf
reelin doon
...day o the yirdin




a single leaf
spiralling down
...day of the funeral

baurley
sheenin gowd
baird o a wince yin




barley
burnished gold
beard of a sage

burnie-becker  -
yin braith syne aff
fleein unnerwatter




dipper  -
one breath then off
flying underwater

mornin incaains

it the shrine

...skwurrel

morning prayers

at the shrine

...squirrel

skirlin o brakes  -
speuggies waashin
in a powie




screeching of brakes  -
sparrows bathing
in a pothole

dramein
in dubs:
the sinflooers




dreaming
in puddles:
the sunflowers

a cran
kittles the peerie dug:
fite scart on the girss




a swift
teases the little dog:
white scribble on the grass

thayr bairn's
hame-wrocht mobile:
streeng'n yill cans




their baby's
home-made mobile:
string and beer cans

hairst  -
a furst
chitter




autumn  -
a first
shiver

hingin
humminburd
haudin ma braith




hanging
hummingbird
holding my breath

rodden tree
biggin yir berries  -
nivver oot o contract




rowan tree
building your berries  -
never out of contract

fou muin  -
snail's trails
...sic embroidery




full moon  -
snail's trails
...such embroidery

a troot lowpin
a ploom fawin
...day o wunners!




a trout leaping
a plum falling
...day of wonders!

yorlin
its fedders fuffelt
...caunle i the wund




yellowhammer
its feathers ruffled
...candle in the wind

i the wee-oors
on the uisual clint
...hern cleedin hissel




early morning
on the usual rock
...heron dressing himself

furst day it schuil
she shaws'r tint tuith
...cums thayr hero




first day at school
she shows her missing tooth
...becomes their hero

i the burn's
derk keekin-gless
...dernt thingums




in the stream's
dark mirror
...hidden things

corsin the brig  -
a suddent blae thocht:
keeng's fisher




crossing the bridge  -
a sudden blue thought:
kingfisher

an auld fere
pauchlin alang  -
a ettle'n ettle tae owerhy...




an old friend
shuffling along  --
I try and try to catch up...