bodachs nou

we simmer an wunter

ower oor medications

old men now

we discuss at length

oor medications

bricht sinlicht  -

a mistaen jowel

...maukie flees on dug keech

bright sunlight  -

a mistaken jewel

...bluebottles on dog-shit

#

neb tae neb  -

dug an puddock

ettlin tae unnerstaun 

nose to nose  -

dog and frog

trying to understand

pensioner  -

her message bag

blaws awa i the wund

pensioner  -

her shopping bag

blows away in the wind

the Trades  -

tentie as anither bittie

snecks wi the cludy jeegsaw

holidays  -

watching another piece

fit the cumulus jigsaw

heizin an fawin -

skatebroders

on concrete swaws

rising and falling  -

skateboarders

on concrete waves

a girsslowper's lowpt

intae ma kitchie 

...knule-kneed

 a grasshopper's hopped

into my kitchen  

...its knobbly knees

twa dalmatians

warsle 

...spreckles afore ma een

two dalmations

wrestle 

...spots before my eyes

july mairchers  -

weet bates on thaim  -

this rousty parawd

july marchers  -

rain beats on them

this rusty parade

as though the wallie yins

on mither's sidebuird

twa swans pander

as though the porcelain ones

on mother's sideboard

two swans drift

nicht train

pewlin throuch

...waesome moothie

night train

wailing through

...sad harmonica

 snail  -

brither stravaiger

ayewis flittin

snail  -

brother wanderer

always moving house

swans

on the burn

cluds

swans

on the stream

clouds

tooter

teuk his braith awa

...wrocht blues

trumpet

took his breath away

...fashioned blues

 efter the flude

 bowders heeligoleerie

...watter's  runes

after the flood

boulders in confusion

...river's runes

granson skairs ma bed  -

taigilt 

...ah dwam o attercaps

grandson shares my bed

tangled 

...I dream of spiders

auld sodger  -

sin sheen's frae's medals

blinndin us

old soldier  -

sun shines from his medals

blinding us

keek o day  -

on the brae

bricht bouets o brume

sunrise  -

on the hillside

bright lanterns of broom

peerie snail

chairtin'ts

jurney

tiny snail

mapping out

its journey

deuklins ettlin tae

sclim the sliddery brae

...lik aw youthlins

ducklings trying to

climb the slippery slope

...like all youngsters

swan's nest  -

yin egg

growein cauld

swan's nest  -

one egg

growing cold

voar's

firie funtains

gean trees

spring's

fiery fountains

cherry trees

 abandont tank  -

in an oot o the barrel

speuggies

abandoned tank  -

in and out of the barrel

sparrows

Ukraine  -

she maits'r chookies

amang brent-oot tanks

Ukraine  -

she feeds her chickens

among burnt-out tanks

wund an cluds  -

swaws o licht

ower the daffins

wind and clouds  -

waves of light

over the daffodils

aw alang the brainch

the sin's licht

birslin the speuggies' feet

all along the branch

the sun's  light

warming the sparrows' feet

hou neebourly  -

her magnolia petals

cleid ma lawn

how neighbourly  -

her magnolia petals

dress my lawn

freithin flourish  -

gean tree's

Pace bunnet

frothing blossom  -

cherry tree's

Easter bonnet

blue bonnets daff  i the sinsheen  -

sheddaes flit

athort the chaumer

blue tits play in the sunshine  -

shadows dart 

across the room

maggies dump throuch

the swans' nest

...stormtroops

magpies kick through

the swans' nest

...stormtroops

on a bricht blae burn

swans snuve

pontifical lik

on a bright blue stream

swans glide

pontifically

Ukraine  -

voar flooers i the derk yirth

bydin fir the aw-clair

Ukraine  -

spring flowers in the dark earth

awaiting the all-clear

hinnymuin boatie

rescuin kestawas

we poued thegither

honeymoon boat 

rescuing castaways

we pulled together

( For Ann)

 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