keengfusher

kaleidoscopic

on a blawn brainch

kingfisher

kaleidoscopic

on a blown branch

 keengfushers:

a perr takkin the err

...it sic a lick

kingfishers:

a pair taking the air

...at speed

her boax

o bibblin brummles

her purpie lipsteek

her box

of bubbling brambles

her purple lipstick

pish-the-bed puffbaws  -

faur aff a peerie fairmer

...his fite heid

dandelion puffballs  -

far off a tiny farmer

...his white head

voar reddin  -

fundin placks, sweeties,

a speeders' graveyaird...

spring cleaning  -

finding coins, sweets,

a spiders' graveyard...

festival  squeebs  -

Immigrant bairnies

coorie thegither

festival  fireworks  -

immigrant  toddlers

cling together

waashin day  -

flaffin sheets

a bygaun butterie

washing day  -

flapping sheets

a passing butterfly

on the telegraph weer

a line o speuggies

yatterin

on the telegraph wire

a line of sparrows

chattering

as tho unnerwatter

they pander by the winnock  -

pish-the-bed parychutes

as though underwater

they drift past the window  -

dandelion parachutes

voar  -

delvin agane

lik monie makars afore

spring  -

digging again

like many poets before

ootby

the hospital yetts

dowps

outside 

the hospital gates

cigarette-ends

honesty

shooglin i the wund

...bangles an bracelets

honesty

shaking in the wind

...bangles and bracelets

rouky mornin  -

bi the kirk yett

attercap's spreit catcher

misty morning  -

by the church gate

spider's spirit catcher

on a lown puil

suddentlie sumhin

dings a bul's-ee

on a calm pool

suddenly something

hits a  bull's eye

it lang an last

weet  -

the acer's leaves daunce

at last

rain  -

the acer's leaves dance

a lown tirl

jooglin

sax fite butteries

a gentle breeze

juggling

six white butterflies

heid office  -

goavin doon on tovin maws

an peerie fowk

head office  -

gazing down on soaring gulls

and little people

swelterin wedder  -

the coos an me

fliskin flees 

sweltering weather  -

the cows and I

flicking flies 

#

craw hunkers wi me

streetches an skews's craig

as though ettlin tae threep

crow sits with me

stretches and twists his neck

as though trying to speak

thrissel's purpie  -

ower suin

the fitest o bairds

thistles purple  -

too soon

the whitest of beards

wund gurlin

roon ma lugs:

'sumhin tae smush!...oniethin!'

wind growling

round my ears:

'something to smash!...anything!'

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