tropical Isle

fantoush farins

...granfaither blaws on's scoatch bree

tropical island

exotic foods

...granddad blows on his his scotch broth

 a fuffy queue  -

suddently a bairn croons

...smirks spreid

an impatient queue  -

suddenly a  child sings

...smiles spread

stert o the saison  -

in the soomin puil

a lane deuk 

start of the season  -

in the swimming pool

a lone duck 

swans  -

yin snecks sauch twigs

the ither's baggit shiffle

swans  -

one snips willow twigs

the other's pregnant shuffle

maggie

nest biggin  -

gies a haun wi the weedin

magpie

nest building  -

helps with the weeding

frae ma winnock  -

a tod lamps by, an

ambulance stops...it ma yett

from my window  -

a fox lopes past, an

ambulance stops...at my gate

leafless sauchs  -

thair yallaness an oorie

bonnienesss i the weet

leafless willows  -

their yellowness

a strange beauty in the rain

echa  -

the lassie quat her sang

i the unnerpass

echo  -

the young girl left her song

in the underpass

jazz i the gairden  -

bleckie bleck bleckie broon

... a blae egg

jazz in the garden  -

blackbird black blackbird brown

...a blue egg

.

mornin hunds

yowlin, knackin

the bunts o freesty ghaists

morning hounds

howling, snapping

the tails of frosty ghosts

fou muin  -

i the gairden bawdrons' een

...yalla sins

full moon  -

In the garden cat's eyes

...yellow suns

the fush-van

feshes a snowk o the sea

tae the causey

the fish-van

fetches a smell of the sea

to the street

fluid trock redd  -

the burn

croonin agane

flood debris cleared  -

the stream

singing again

roondin a bend i the burn  -

the suddent licht

o swans an snawdraps

rounding a bend in the stream  -

the sudden light 

of swans and snowdrops

covid lockdoon  -

we brunt oor palm corse

an sainit ilk ither

covid lockdown   -

we burned our palm cross

and blessed each other

(Ash wednesday)

voar sin  

a boorach

o daffins

spring sun

a cluster

of daffodils

her gairden

fou o plastic skwurrels  -

she  fells the rael yins!

her garden

full of plastic squirrels  -

she kills the real ones!

Valentine's day  -

twa speuggies 

halfers a fat-baw

Valentine's day  -

two sparrows

share a fat-ball

ma brunt haun hailin  -

its huil

bairnlie new

my burnt hand healing  -

its skin

baby new

craws in sinlicht  -

on the wa

dirlin graffitti

crows in sunlight  -

on the wall

kinetic graffitti

twa windae-waashers  -

ah suddently mynd

a cataract appintment

two window-cleaners  -

i suddenly remember

a cataract appointment

frae the yirthquak's 

derk bore  -  a peerie bairn

...caum it its hamecomin

from the earthquake's

dark hole  -  a tiny child

...calm at its second birth

hern

humphed

amang the snawdraps

heron

hunched

among the snowdrops

swan preenin  -

a bygaun jogger

...her pink pleats

swan preening  -

a passing jogger

...her pink pigtails

 swans

doverin on the snaw:

swans

asleep on the snow:

wunter mornin  -

throuch lace hingers

 jeelt brainches

winter morning  -

through lace curtains

 frozen branches

new neebours  -

thair bawdrons veesits

weirin a reid boo-tie

new neighbours  -

their cat visits

wearing a red bow-tie

hogmanay rackets

brustin bricht fir saiconts

...the leal muin

new year fireworks

bursting bright for seconds

...the constant moon

alang the plainstanes  -

Yule treen untinselled

heeld on the buckets

along the pavement  -

Christmas trees untinselled

lean on the dustbins

furst day it schuil  -

mithers

greitin

first day at school  -

mothers

crying

Yule mornin  -

treen ableeze wi sparks

sae perfitly space't

Christmas morning  -

trees ablaze with raindrops

so perfectly spaced

 2023  -

a new neb waukens

in shut-doon door-cheek

2023  -

a new face wakens

in  a closed-down doorway

aw nicht

the orra maisic

o a chist smit

all night

the surreal music

of a chest infection

abuin ma care bed

lichts athort the ceilin

...cumin an gaein

above my sickbed

lights across the ceiling

...coming and going

furst snaw  -

hairst's musardrie

rubbit oot

first snow  -

autumn's poetry

erased

freesty nicht  -

efter the Yule pairty

glessy-e'ed dubs

frosty night  -

after the Christmas party

glazy-eyed puddles

blawy  -

lang Johns on the waashin rope

...doitit ballet

windy  -

long Johns on the washing line

...crazy ballet

auld tarrybreeks

on's daith-bed  

hearkens tae the maws pewl

old sailor

on his death-bed  

listens to the gulls cry

furst advent caunle

sterts tae daunce  -

sterts THE DAUNCE!

first advent candle

starts to dance  -

starts THE DANCE!

unco peerie squaik  -

maggie's fund

sumhin siller

strange little squeak  -

magpie's found

something silver

 trainspottin  -

myndin the auld puffers

...freesty braith

trainspotting  -

remembering the old puffers

...frosty breath

geelt hameless  -

reid straiks o a pastel lift

i thair een

frozen homeless  -

red streaks of a pastel sky

in their eyes

hern's fuitprents

amang the saugh leaves

...stobbie calligraphy

heron's footprints

among the willow leaves

...spiky calligraphy

wa-gang agane  -

eemigrant laddie

nirlin i the weet

leaving again  -

emigrant son

shrinking in the rain

 i the winnock  -

fou muin, attercap,

an the threids am claucht in

in the windoow  -

full moon, spider,

and the threads I'm caught in

doacter's appintment  -

it his winnock skwurrel

hunkers creckin a nit

doctor's appointment  -

at his window squirrel

sits cracking a nut

mawin the girss  -

the creck

o cracker nits

mowing the grass  -

the crack

of hazelnuts

burds cheeplin

wund i the treen  -  an me:

God's HI-FI seestem

birds chirping

wind in the trees  -  and me:

God's HI-FI system

saw neb dookin

gaein unner   -  syne 

scartin whaur a lug micht be

goosander bathing

going under  -   then

scratching where an ear might be

leukin lik the hinmaist leaf

on a nakit acer

...Reid Rab

looking like the last leaf 

on a naked acer

...a robin

auld tarry-breeks  -

his twa powls

the swallin causey

the old sailor  -

his two walking sticks

the swelling pavement

efter the weet  -

speuggie lans on a brainch

brings doon anither shour

after the rain  -

sparrow lands on a branch

brings down another shower

snail  -

his siller lines

o musardrie

snail  -

his silver lines

of poetry

on a brainch, sparks,

a raw i the sin  -

suin tae kythe as cluds...agane

on a branch, raindrops,

a row in the sun -

soon to become clouds...again

the acer's firie leaves

faw

...bleckened brainches

the acer's fiery leaves

fall

...blackened branches

faur aff

her an hern

ilk anein a blae-gray cot

in the distance

she and heron

each in a blue-grey coat

the auld gangrel  -

his haun-me-doon shuin

his bluided heels

the old tramp  -

his hand-me-down shoes

his bloodied heels

tooer cran

hystin anither laid

...stackin cluds

tower crane

hoisting another load

...stacking clouds

midnicht pish  -

i the shunkie

a fissog pluffs

midnight pee  -

in the toilet

a face explodes

i the syver

sumyin's boo-tie 

...heich-fleer's pairty

in the gutter

someone's bow-tie 

...high-flyer's party

hairst  -

reid, yalla , gowd, refleckit

on the scaffie's fissog

autumn  -

red, yellow, gold,reflected

on the street-sweeper's face

licht skails

frae flooers, treen, fowk  -

a day fir refleckshun

light pours

from flowers, trees, people  -

a day for reflection

grannie's but'n ben  -

oot frae the lum

a wattergaw

grandmother's cottage  -

out from the chimney

a rainbow

rin-ower

craw-aipples  -

a pollock splairge

run -over

crab-apples  -

 a pollock splash

fiercelin times  -

e'en i the kintra

deuks heid-buttin

aggressive times  -

even in the country

ducks head-butting

clowtin a peerie flee  -

bumbazed it the bluid straik

...an the guilt

swatting a tiny fly  -

amazed at the blood streak

...and the guilt

yowlin wund  

streeks'n boos a wab- threid

...blusey mornin

howling wind  

stretches and bends a web-thread

...bluesy morning

auld fusherman  

his arthritic banes

...a craikin boat

old fisherman

his arthritic bones

...a creaking boat

dawin haudin in  -

the knock's fissog

...narrer an narrer

dawn approaching  -

the clock's face

...nearer and nearer

the maisic o buits

slaw mairchin

...the seelence o london

the music of boots

slow marching

...the silence of London

(Elizabeth 11 funeral)

the bodach 

gairdenin

...muckle bluid

the old man

gardening

...much blood

the burn murmells: truant  -

schuil-days guddlin

clauchtin nocht bit pleesur

the stream murmurs: truant -

school-days fishing

catching nothing but pleasure

a queen hus slippit awa  -

the skep thrabs

wi hert-scaud

a queen has died  -

the hive throbs

with grief

snail

stickit tae ma winnock

...slubbery pree

snail

stuck to my window

...slobbery kiss

 'makkin wey fir ithers' -

faither's answer tae daith

...sneddin this verra tree

'making way for others'  -

father's answer to death

...pruning this very tree

...

efter sica stour

the saft ruff

o a seepin rhone

after such a thunderstorm

the soft beat

of a leaky gutter

on the suicide's puil

a brust fitbaw

...the gemme's a bogie

on the suicide's pool

a burst football

..the game is ended.

claucht in a wab  -

rouk's

ghaistly presence

caught in a web  -

mist's

ghostly presence

bin strike  

...a rant

o maws

dustbin strike 

...a festival

of gulls

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!'