croonin
telegraph wires
...kintra busker




singing
telegraph wires
...country busker

hame frae nicht-shift  -
sclimin intae
her tosie indent




home from night-shift  -
climbing into
her warm indent

new keekin-gless  -
yon bodach
aye thayr




new mirror  -
that old man
still there

Alzheimer's  -  she hunkers
tentie o the gowk knock
...an thayr'r tears




Alzheimer's  -  she sits
watching the cuckoo clock
...and there are tears

deep i the wuids
a bob o daffins
ringit roon wi caunles




deep in the woods
a bunch of daffodils
surrounded by candles

bumbazed butterie
reengin fir flooers
in februar




bewildered butterfly
searching for flowers
in february

stoorin
tae schuil  -
snawdrap bells shooglin




rushing
to school  -
snowdrop bells shaking

he greits fir geegaws  -
in damascus
bairns daff wi stanes




he cries for toys  -
in damascus
children play with stones

in a quate puil
unnerwatter
craws




in a still pool
underwater
crows

hunkerin on the ledging
wi the maws
...govein




sitting on the parapet
with the gulls
...gazing

yin day thay'll threep:
he maun be deid  -
ma dug-daunerin feres




one day they will say:
he must be dead  -
my dog-walking friends

twa swans preein  -
it's valentine's day
fir thaim an aw




two swans necking  -
it's valentine's day
for them also

granfaither's
hingower dander
...gled it's blowstery




grandfather's
hangover walk
...glad its windy

nicht vaig  -
reengin wavebaunds
...stern threep




night journey  -
searching wavebands
...star talk

Italian waashday  -
heich i the vennel
flags o'r breeks




Italian washday  -
high in the alley
flags of her underwear

ill tid gane
i the freeth
o daffin otters




depression gone
in the froth
of otters at play

furst snaw  -
derk ink o the burn
...haiku on the page




first snow  -
dark ink of the stream
...haiku on the page

a hirplin chiel
amang the craws
...aw sweein in hermony




a limping man
among the crows
...all swaying in harmony

batteries
fir ma shaver
...the years faw awa




batteries
for my shaver
...the years fall away

oor auld pictur hoose
nou a 'steak hoose'
... an the bluid is real




our old cinema
now a 'steak house'
..and the blood is real

hame frae Mass
flauchts on her lips
...crottles o the host




home from Mass
snowflakes on her lips
...crumbs of the host

suddent freest  -
awwhaur
dubs' glerelit een




sudden frost  -
everywhere
puddles' glazed eyes

heich on a lum
maw
skewin's ain style o blues




high on a chimney
gull
bending his own style of blues

roon the flooer staund
the cheetlin
o mucklemercat tills




round the flower stand
the chirping
of supermarket tills

ootby the pairlament
e'en the corbies
bowkin abuiss




outside the parliament
even the crows
spewing abuse

new hearkenin-aid  -
ma pish
tinkles




new hearing-aid  -
my urine
tinkles

fleetin yill bottle
wund athort the neck
...peerie tugboat




floating beer bottle
wind across the neck
...little tugboat

hogmanay
a yirdin
...settin voar bulbs




last day of the year
a funeral
...planting spring bulbs

galilee
maws skirlin  -
samen leid as it hame




galilee
gulls screaming  -
same language as at home

i the wee-oors
attercap
a'ready weavin




early morning
spider
already knitting

Yule e'en  -
a fou muin
lichts up the byre




Christmas eve  -
a full moon
lights up the cowshed

whit wye
weet chafts it the station  -
life gaes naewhaur




why
tears at the station  -
life goes nowhere

his team beat...agane   -
myndins
fouin the bucket




his team beaten...again  -
memorabilia
filling the dustbin

sin snaw or weet
wullie wagtail
never no waffin's bunt




sun snow or rain
wagtail never not
wagging his tail

keek-o-day  -
the lift reiddens
blearin the Yule lichts




dawn  -
the sky reddens
dimming the Christmas lights

hunkert roon the ingle
thay'r tentie o the dramas
i the lowes




sitting round the fire
they watch the dramas
in the flames

Yule  -
i the  winnock
tree's stoundin hert




Christmas  -
in the window
tree's pulsing heart

sclimin fawin
sclimin fawin  -
wunter flee reengin fir feres




climbing falling
climbing falling  -
winter fly searching for friends

hematuria  -
a stap ower
a singul rodden berry




hematuria  -
I step over
a single rowan berry

freesty plainstanes  -
hairst leaves
set in a scrapbuik




icy pavements  -
autumn leaves
fixed in a scrapbook

this mornin sic sheenin  -
muin, venus,
an bawdrons' fuskers




this morning such shining  -
moon, venus,
and cat's whiskers

alzheimer's  -
on a seelent sea
her boattie adrift




alzheimer's  -
on a silent sea
her boat adrift

retourin
her leebrary beuks  -
a pokefou o crangs




returning
her library books  -
a bagful of corpses

armistice  -
a bullet-tasht helm
...soond o a moothie




armistice -
a bullet-holed helmet
...sound of a harmonica

scartin the caur winnock  -
speuggie stobs
it a jeelt dub




scraping the car window  -
sparrow stabs
at a frozen puddle

votin day  -
ootby the pairlament
a joogler




voting day  -
outside the parliament
a juggler

hou sunken trock
maks eemages on the burn
(alang cam jung!)




how sunken debris
makes images on the stream
(along came jung!)

auld schuil dictionar  -
its pages turnt doon it
minge an mons




old school dictionary  -
its pages turned down at
minge and mons

depairtin the kirk
throuch fawin leaves
...a stainit-gless winnock




leaving the church
through falling leaves
...a stained-glass window

a bowl o sweeties
fir the guisers  -
she derns it frae granfaither




a bowl of sweets
for the trick or treaters  -
she hides it from grandfather

the postie
tint in e-fag reek
...ma douce reekin mail




the postman
lost in e-cigarette smoke
...my sweet smelling mail

the sweel
o bairns cheevyin leaves
cheevyin bairns




the whirlpool
of children chasing leaves
chasing children

jealous  -
hairst treen
lossin wecht




jealous  -
autumn trees
losing weight

hairst  -
danderin throuch
this airtist's exheebeetion




autum  -
wandering through
this artist's exhibition

poorin weet  -
the hale gairden
dauncin




pouring rain  -
the whole garden
dancing

jazz throuch
the apen winnock  -
maggie bops frae side tae side




jazz through
the open window  -
magpie bops from side to side

i the muinlit squerr
bawdrons  -
his bell plinkin




in the moonlit square
cat  -
his bell twinkling

fir a new granbairn
she lichts a caunle
...peerie lowe souchin




for a new grandchild
she lights a candle
...tiny flame breathing

i the maisic chaumer
the flee derns
amang the crochets




in the music room
the fly hides
amongst the crochets

hame frae the vinyaird  -
his purpie colourt
shuin




home from the vineyard  -
his purple coloured
shoes

midnicht dander  -
wairmth yit
i the monastery waa




midnight stroll  -
warmth yet
in the monastery wall

fou muin
midnicht skooker
...monastery bawdrons




full moon
midnight prowler
...monastery cat

ristin here
whaur the bodachs yince ristit
...an a wis youthie an scowthin




resting here
where the old men once rested
...and I was young and mocking

meditatin bi the dub
a leaf faws in  -
an ee apens...apens...




meditating by the pond
a leaf falls in  -
an eye/I opens...opens...

mornin hermony  -
a bygaun bummer
a bike's croonin tyres




morning harmony  -
a passing bee
a  bicycle's singing tyres

nursery gairden  -
her yalla gowen sin
in a witch bell lift




nursery garden  -
her marigold sun
in a cornflower sky

hame frae sneddin treen  -
ilka chaumer a hunker in
reekin o fir




home from thinning trees  -
every room I sit in
smelling of pine

on the auld aik
luver's ineetials
...growne tae an ugsome skaith




on the old oak
lover's initials
...grown to an ugly wound

kail-wirm  -
on a kail leaf
grand crochet wark




caterpillar  -
on a cabbage leaf
excellent crochet work

auld toon squerr  -
a generation hunkert
aneath cluds o fag reek




old town square  -
a generation sitting
beneath clouds of cigarette smoke

maw  -
fechtin the schuil-laddie
fir's piece




gull  -
fighting the schoolboy
for his lunch

deuks in a raw  -
myndin
mither's scullery wa




ducks in a row  -
remembering
mother's kitchen wall

idle  -
ilka day bygane
the sunken boattie




unemployed  -
every day passing
the sunken boat

anither burthday  -
slawly sauntin
on her new scooter




another birthday  -
slowly disappearing
on her new scooter

haar's cantraips:
attercap's ghaistly warl
hauds forrit




magical mist:
spider's ghostly world
steps forward

a hunner the day  -
in'r gairden
a gledsome fleeby




a hundred today  -
in her garden
a joyous flypast

neist
tae'r drame cleeker
attercap's wab




beside
her dream catcher
spider's web

danderin aside's wheelcheer
she cairrys's tram
...pynts trigly bund




walking beside his wheelchair
she carries his leg
...laces neatly tied

heich on the err:
butteries, thrissledoon
...whilk?




high on the air:
butterflies, thistledown
...which?

a reid admiral's
juist drapt bye
...winkin on a clint




a red admiral's
just dropped in
...winking on a rock

tod's left
a bing o bleck fedders
...the sang is gane




fox has left
a pile of black feathers
...the song is gone

the workie's cran
flings its widdie sheddae
ower the daffin perks




the builder's crane
casts its gallows shadow
over the playing fields

on a lanely peth
snowkin a wull rose
...bummer shoves in




on a lonely path
smelling a wild rose
...bee pushes in
.

the Buddha's hauns
fouin wi weet
...peerie burds sowpin




the Buddha's hands
filling with rain
...little birds drinking

doverin in'r lair  -
ma heid ristin
whaur the tooth-fairy hunkert




sleeping in her bed  -
my head resting
where the tooth-fairy sat

aw day
pouin berries
tae the bummers' wark sang




all day
picking fruit
to the bees' work song

drocht  -
saumon duntin
intae clints




drought  -
salmon bumping
into rocks

weetin'sel
the drouthie
flings miscawins it the Mosque




wetting himself
the drunk
flings abuse at the Mosque

eenin concert  -
the tuba chiel
gaithers aw the sinsheen




evening concert  -
the tuba player
gathers all the sunshine

apenin the hingers  -
aye poorin
...hivier the-day




opening the curtains  -
still raining
...heavier today

( for Angelee Deodhar)

stravaigin hoaliday  -
e'en ma sheddae's
sair




walking holiday  -
even my shadow
hurting

heizin frae the meedie
gay luvers
in daunce o butteries




rising from the meadow
gay lovers
in a dance of butterflies

claucht up
i the mawin  -
hauf a bummer




caught up
in the mowing  -
half a bee

unnerwatter wrack  -
locks o a river
stoorin on




underwater weeds  -
tresses of a river
rushing on

on a brainch
yin craw preens anither
...sappie in'ts derkness




on a branch
one crow preens another
...tender in its darkness

life's roond  -
a faither's day cart
frae a faither




life's cycle  -
a father's day card
from a father

rin-ower pheasie
...tasht
wattergaw




run-over pheasant
...crushed
rainbow

Zen maister

sic pace an caum

...years owerseein the swans

Zen master

such peace and tranquillity

...years tending the swans

mavis's egg  -
craw
dookin intae the reid-baw




thrush's egg  -
crow
dipping into the yolk

simmer hings
in a hinmaist berry
...sweirt tae plook it




summer hangs
in a last berry
...loath to pluck it