lichtnin

on the derk burn

stertilt swans

lightning

on the dark stream

startled swans

wund  -  blawin myndins

throuch

this ayebydand kythin

wind  -  blowing memories

through

this eternal presence

ilka brainch

glaizie wi sparks

...claucht i thair mash

every branch

aglitter with raindrops

...caught in their net

wunter mornin  -

a freen's caw

i the set o's braith

winter morning  -

a friend's greeting

in the shape of his breath

sin blinters

throuch the sparred palin  -

...its a cairtoon warl

sun flickers

through the slatted fence  -

...its a cartoon world

a hinmaist dander

wi's auld gundug

...the ferrier bydes

a last walk

with his old gundog

...the vet waits

shooers o leaves  -

bleckie blooters  throuch 

tae voar growthe

showers of leaves  -

blackbird kicks through 

to spring growth

roon the saunt's hoose

the err is aw jasmine

...wesps amang the baklava

round the saint's house

the air is all jasmine

...wasps among the baklava

they bide till a haud by  

syne  ma neebours gae 

intil the mait baunk

they wait until I pass  

then my neighbours

enter the food bank

saft souch  -

a clud

fleets doonstream

soft breeze  -

a cloud

floats downstream 

eesock

stottin on a clint

graithin himsel fir the plype

dipper

bouncing on a rock

psyching himself for the plunge

heron goves

intae's refleckshun

...fush soom throuch's heid

heron gazes

into his reflection

...fish swim through his head

covid blues  -

she croons a wurdless sang

on a weet blashie day

covid blues  -

she sings a wordless song

on a wet rainy day

apenin the hingers

tod an muin

set

opening the curtains

fox and moon

framed

aw day fouin mait paircels  -

she lints

maitin the swans

all day filling food parcels  -

she relaxes

feeding the swans

on the cafe brod heid

forgat

a snorlie hankie

on the cafe table

forgotten

a knotted handkerchief

oot frae unner

a hap o snaw

...voar

out from under

a blanket of snow

...spring 

keengfusher's

azure flicht

...glorifeein the aircher

kingfisher's

azure flight

...glorifying the archer

am aye weirin

her loom band  -

a hecht's a hecht

i'm still wearing

her loom band  -

a promise is a promise

a santa bunnet

trampit i the snaw

...fremmit sodgers

a santa hat

trampled in the snow

...foreign soldiers

watter's souchs an grueins  -

deuk quaich guis honk

an hern's seelent leister

river's tones and terrors  -

duck quack goose honk

and heron's silent spear

heavin up airlie  -

the muin

aye leanin

rising early  -

the moon

still reclining

Reid Rab

heich on a brainch  -

Yule lights sheen on's breist

robin

high on a branch  -

Christmas lights shine on his breast

lum uphaud  -

the sclater's bag o graith

his santa bunnet

chimney repair  -

the slater's bag of tools

his santa hat

fawen leaves

mozie myndins

...a fere's dementia

fallen leaves

rotting  memories

...a friend's dementia

snell mornin  -

hern

hauf its bouk

cold morning  -

heron

half its size

freesty nicht  -

sterns abuin

skimmerin unnerfuit

frosty night  -

stars above

shimmering underfoot

shooglie on'r bike

she disnae ken yit

she's on'r ain

wobbly on her bicycle 

she doesn't know yet

she's on her own

twa weet leaves skitter

doon the clair lozen

...bygaun thochts

two wet leaves slither

down the clear pane

...passing thoughts

aw nicht

a teirin wund

rivin the toon tae shivereens

all night 

a raging wind 

tearing the town to bits

the suicide tree  -

it's brainch

hailt

the suicide tree  -

it's branch

healed

fawen leaves

pattren the burn

deuks mizzle

fallen leaves

pattern the stream

ducks disappear

furst Yule whigmaleeries  -

rodden

          berries

First Christmas baubles  -

rowan

           berries 

hame frae the circus  

faither ettles tae caum thaim:

selkies, lions, clowns...

home from the circus  

father tries to calm them:

seals, lions, clowns...

 armistice day

the acer's leaves 

bing

armistice day  -

the acer's leaves

pile up

efter ma neebours' cull

the skwurrels hae wun back

tae  kittle ma gairden

after my neighbours' cull

the squirrels have returned

to enliven my garden

a fite bawdrons 

amang the labster-creels  -

fou muin skookin

a white cat

among the lobster-pots  -

full  moon creeping

fift o November

day o's fooneral

...reek an aises

fifth of November

day of his funeral

...smoke and ashes

 hallowday  -

skeery  pumpkins aye aroond

...skailt sweeties on the causey

All Saints' day  -

scary pumpkins still around

...spilt sweets on the street

streengs hing tuim

 traikle-farls gane

...wutchies an warlocks stappit

strings hang empty

treacle-scones gone

...witches and warlocks sated

burdsang  -

nivver

a wrang note

birdsong  -

never

a wrong note

deef tae ma 'guid mornin'   -

thay'r tentie

tae the vyces i thayr heids

ignoring my 'good morning'  -

they listen

to the voices in their heads

hairst  -

the treen

yatterin

autumn  -

the trees

chattering

hairst  -

bauldie-heidit days

fir the pish-the-beds

autumn  -

bald-headed days

for the dandelions

eildit pleesurs  -

blithe tae hae wurn oot

anither pair o shuin

aged pleasures  -

happy to have worn out

another pair of shoes

gaitherin conkers agane -

twa

octygeranians 

gathering chestnuts again -

two

octogeranians

Ga

mornin yatter  -

ma neebours clype

...maggies jyne in

morning chatter  -

my neighbours gossip

...magpies join in

dung doon ceeties  -

tuithit gavel-ens staun

...a deevil's jeegsaw

bombed cities  -

toothed gable-ends stand

...a devil's jigsaw

dawn chorus  -

the yatter

o the bucket men

dawn chorus  -

the chitchat

of the bin men

hairst  -

duddie leaves

hing on

autumn  -

tattered leaves

hang on

back agane

tae snowk the peat reek

...lowes thit nivver gae oot

back again

to smell the peat smoke

...fires that never go out

hameless  -

doverin aneath the heidline:

IS THERE LIFE ON MARS?

homeless  -

asleep beneath the headline:

IS THERE LIFE ON MARS?

sica bonnie lassie  -

her spirlie fingers

cleuks o a draigon tattoo

such a lovely girl  -

her slender fingers

claws of a dragon tattoo

deid man's bells

a ticht fit

...bummer backs oot slawly

foxglove

a tight fit

...bee reverses out slowly

arthritic:

his banes runchin

wrochtin thayr ain aises

arthritic:

his bones grinding

making their own ashes

unner the tree

a fawen egg  -

sumhin's sookit oot the sangburd

under the tree

a fallen egg  -

something's sucked out the songbird

obituary:

...a brush hus

skytit frae the cannas

obituary:

...a brush has

slipped from the canvas

sneddin ma herr

i the gairden

... haip o thrisseldoon 

cutting my hair

in the garden

...heap of thistledown

bydein the licht

sweelt i the hap o'ts sel  -

mornin glory

awaiting the light

wrapped in the blanket of itself  -

morning glory

 baurber shewn-up  -

deein o cancer

his thocht's ma herr!

barber closed  -

dying of cancer

his concern's my hair!

(For Sandy)

nIcht veesitors  -

the siller jeegsaw

o snail steids

night visitors  -

the silver jigsaw

of snail tracks

lockdoon ower  -

the burn's banjo

new seeds jiggin on the err

lockdown over  -

the stream's banjo

new seeds dancing on the air

yin clap!

an a synchronized soom

o minnons

one clap!

and a sychronized

swim of minnows

attercaps

it houghmagandie

... snorlie threid

spiders

making love

...knotted thread

crematorium  -

her sinbrunt

dowie yins

crematorium  -

her sunburnt

mourners

gairden fou

o the brawest jazz jiggers

...butteries

garden full

of the best jazz jivers 

...butterflies

lockdoon  -

the day a butterie

gaed by 

lockdown  -

today a butterfly

passed by

college hooses  -

tap flair hained

fir theology scholars?

university flats  -

top floor reserved

for theology students?

petal bi petal

the speengie rose

tirls

petal by petal

the peony rose

undresses

clam mornin  -

the wuid souchs oot

a douce braith

damp morning  -

the forest exudes

a sweet breath

hameless  -  doverin

on the ootdoor chess-brod

...pawn

homeless  -  asleep

on the outdoor chess-board

...pawn

 craws wesh i the burn

maws wesh upstream

...the maggies keckle

crows wash in the stream

gulls wash upstream

...the magpies chortle

 rescuin a bummer

she feshes me

a bizzin bicker

rescuing a bee

she brings me

a buzzing beaker

 efter lockdoon

this year's speuggies

dinnae ken whit tae mak o's

after lockdown

this year's sparrows

don't know what to make of us

 mawin the gairden  -

hauf-cut bummers

amang the sookies

mowing the garden  -

half-cut bees

among the clover heads

ilka day his carer

helps'm reenge the burn

fir crocodiles

every day his carer

helps him search the stream

for crocodiles

lowst frae lockdoon

the bodach

neb-deep in breer

released from lockdown

the old man

nose-deep in a wild rose

throuch the kirkyaird

the wund's wae chanter

...a pibroch fir Eilidh

through the churchyard

the wind's sad chanter

...a pibroch for Eilidh

(for Eilidh MacLeod: Barra  killed by terrorists)

heatwave  -

deed in a fur cot

...bummer

heatwave  -

dead in a fur coat

...bee

 alang the trackside

wull brummles

...railway jeelie we cried it

along the trackside

wild brambles

...railway jam we called it

gallus i the pandemic  -

his pooches fou

o haly medals

fearless in the pandemic  -

his pockets full

of holy medals

swans dunt on the burn  -

twa fedders

panderin

swans bump on the stream  -

two feathers

drfting

island wedder clype  -

washin rope

semaphore

island weather report  -

washing line

semaphore

hebridean gowan  -

sin in a reeng

o cluds

hebridean daisy  -

sun in a ring

of clouds

fite bawdrons

chackin

the creels

white cat

checking

the lobster-pots

bi a roustin anchor

fusherchiels hunker

govein seawarts

by a rusting anchor

fishermen sit

gazing seawards

cumulus cluds  

...Reubens'  wummen

hurkin

cumulus clouds  

...Reubens' ladies

lounging

daith o a priest  -

ablow the saugh swan hunkers

beads faw frae'r neb

death of a priest  -

below the willow swan sits

beads fall from her beak

 covid-19  -

bygaun the beauticians'

 ...tuim keekin glesses glowerin

covid-19  -

passing the beauticians'

...empty mirrors staring

juist be!

wi the renuncin

as gean flourish faws

just be!

with the surrender

as cherry blossom falls

 readin i the gairden  -

 bummer's sheddae

... fou stap

reading in the garden  -

bee's shadow

...full stop

.

In a snell wund

the tosieness

o gean flourish

in a bitter wind

the warmth

of cherry blossom

burds stoor

tae thayr nests

...guis-stappin maggies.

birds race

to their nests

...goose-stepping magpies

pandemic  -

a tuim cheer

in monie a hame

pandemic  -

an empty chair

in many a home

frae the fitbaw perk

the ref's fussle  -

a bleckie repones

from the football park

the ref's whistle  -

a blackbird answers

killer i the sinsheen:

bawdrons kids on sloom

aneath the speuggies

killer in the sunshine:

cat feigns sleep

beneath the sparrows

efter Mass

refleckin on the tuim tassie

...fou o sinsheen

after Mass

reflecting on the empty cup

...full of sunshine

on the plainstanes

speuggies hop amang the brainches

in a sheddae warl

on the pavement

sparrows hop among the branches

in a shadow world

Guid friday  -

Reid Rab roon ma feet

its bluid-reid breist

Good friday  -

a robin round my feet

its blood -red breast