fundin ma auld truan -

baith o's rousty nou  

we'll bigg nae mair wa's

finding my old trowel  -

both of us rusty now  

we'll build no more walls

it the winnock

a bummer  -

a drone wi nae steeng!

at the window

a bee  -

a drone with no sting!

Gaza, 

Guid Friday  

'...heids o enless Christs rowe doon'

Gaza, 

Good Friday  

'...heads of endless Christs roll down'

(HUGH MacDIARMID  -  THE INNUMERABLE CHRIST)

Gaza  -

oot frae the stoor: a bairn

...an back tae the stoor

Gaza  -

out from the dust: a child

...and back to the dust

daffins an blaebells:

a'm myndit o Eukraine  -

nae voar thair yit!

daffodils and bluebells:

I think of Eukraine  -

no spring there yet!

a bygaun train honks  -

heich abuin

swans repone

a passing train honks  -

high above

swans answer

the dowie causey

suddentlie ableeze

...gean flourish

the dreary street

suddenly ablaze

...cherry blossom

on the bike peth

a dirlin bob o blae-

bells!!!

on the cycle path

a vibrant bunch of blue-

bells!!!

the priest threeps:

'the wurd o God'

...a bairn ca's oot

the priest intones:

'the word of god'

...a child cries out

skypin faimilie

faur an near  -  in the gairden

a wab dirls

skyping family

far and near  -  in the garden

a web quivers

mornin  Mass

throuch a stour  -  the braes

a'ready in mantillas

morning Mass

through a blizzard  -  the hills

already in mantillas

voar  -

cheetlins

growein looder

spring  -

chirpings

growing louder

peerie blue bonnet

yer heid bobbin whit

maisic dae ye hearken tae?

little blue-tit

your head bobbing

what music do you hear?

voar's airmy

on the muive  - pynts o thair leisters 

awroads

spring's army

on the move  - points of their spears 

everywhere

the sin sheen's

on the tuim fusky boattle  -

he thocht the sin blinkit in't

the sun shines

on the empty whisky bottle  -

he thought the sun shone in it!

watterside scart  -

its spreid weengs

walcumin the sin

riverbank cormorant  -

its spread wings 

welcoming the sun

keek o day  

muives athort the gairden

freest stooryin aheid

sunrise

moves across the garden

frost racing ahead

i the tirl

daffins skewin

tentie o the burn bygaun

in the breeze

daffodils turning

watching the stream pass by

aw alang the causey

sensor lichts cum on  -

bawdrons' midnicht dander

all along the street

sensor lights come on  -

cat's midnight walk

the bodach

stoiterin nou

thankrife fir a broun haun

the old man

staggering now

grateful for a brown hand

fooneral Mass

a babbie groozles  -

baith ens o the meesterie

funeral Mass

a baby gurgles  -

both ends of the mystery

yon tyme agane -

wirms streekin

pizzel-pink

that time again  -

worms stretching

penis-pink

fund:

a bruckle scrieve

frae a bruckle laddie

found:

a fragile letter

from a fragile boy

sparks on a brainch

rowe an dunt

...newton's beddie

raindrops on a branch

roll and bump

...newton's cradle

Mardi Gras glamour  -

bairns tap-daunce:

bottle-taps stellt tae thair shuin

Mardi Gras magic  -

children tap-dance:

bottle-tops fixed to their shoes

a bleckie hunkers

fusslin

on the sinny side o the tree

a blackbird sits

whistling

on the sunny side of the tree

i the deid buddhist's

gairden

new buds 

in the dead buddhist's 

garden

new buds

i the auld neibourheid

awbodie gane  -

a lane maw's oorie skirl

in the old neighbourhood

everybody gone  -

a lone gull's eerie cry

meditation oor  -

a bleck bawdrons

corses the snaw

meditation hour  -

a black cat

crosses the snow

weet mornin  --

daffins

nid noddin as a gae bye

wet morning  -

daffodils

nodding as i pass

sainin hersel

the disabled lassie

lichts caunles fir ithers

blessing herself

the disabled girl

lights candles for others

swan

coories on'r nest

the cob stravaigs up an doon

swan

sits on her nest

the cob paces up and down

Ukraine bunker  -

bawdrons scarts's lug

on a weirheid

Ukraine bunker  -

cat scratches it's ear

on a warhead

agnes an ciaran

babet an isha:

blowsters cryin doon ma lum

agnes and ciaran

babet and isha:

storms shouting down my chimney

hern dumfoonert:

the bleck muscle

o a cairtwheelin otter

heron amazed:

the black muscle

of a cartwheeling otter

eesock poised tae dook  -

sibness

hus me on ma taes

dipper poised to dive  -

empathy

has me on my toes

 efter days o weet

nieve duntin

the sin

after days of rain

fist bumping

the sun

bruckle flooers

flourishin an deein

...midnicht rackets

fragile flowers

blossoming and dying

...midnight fireworks

athort

a Yule perk

fremmit fowk's goamins

across

a Chrismas park 

strangers' greetings

flee on the winnock

a faurawa airieplane  

...bairgin peth

fly on the window 

a distant aeroplane  

...collision path

wunter solstice  

a pearl remuved

days growein brichter

winter solstice  

a cataract removed

days growing brighter

wund  

raxin tae win awa

frae a blawn awa tent

wind  

struggling to be free

from a blown away tent

advent caunle  -

anither day

meltit awa

advent candle  -

another day

melted away

nae Yule pairty

fir him this year  -

a'm weirin's shuin

no Christmas party

for him this year  -

i'm wearing his shoes

on a kintra rod

the reid colour o daith

the bleck o craw

on a country road

the red colour of death

the black of crow

bygane geese  -

a trauchle-free

maument

geese pass  -

a trouble-free

moment

 listin drive  -

sodgers in fou cammyflage

roon the hamburger stand

recruitment drive  -

soldiers in full camouflage

round the hamburger stall

snail's tasht shall  -

sumwhaur

a bleckie chirms

snail's broken shell  -

somewhere

a blackbird sings

a day o yuisless thingums:

in the canaul, a

message-bag fou o watter

a day of useless things:

in the canal, a

shopping-bag full of water

the postie's 

fuitprents

bygaun ma yett

the postman's

footprints

past my gate

 the elements

recyclin

the auld recyclin plant

the elements

recycling

the old recycling plant

airly mornin  -

the cailleach stauns

it the bingo-ha door

early morning  -

the old lady stands

at the bingo-hall door

hunkered amang maw leid

the towrists

skail scran

sat amidst gull language

the tourists

scatter scraps

indian kintra  -

ah coff a crucifix

an twa arraheids

indian country  -

i buy a crucifix

and two arrowheads

watterside dauner

makars' busts  -

awbodie maits the swans

riverside walk

poets' busts  -

everybody feeds the swans

nautiloids

380,000000 year auld  

fir ma laddie's thirtieth

nautiloids

380,000000 years old

for my son's thirtieth

 the ceetie waukens:

the wino sooks a tinnie

a chiel pynts wi a pincil

the city wakens:

the wino sucks a can

a man points with a pencil

he skails trock fraes car

smirks it us  -

ah glisk a tuim space

he scatters car litter

smiles at us  -

i see an empty space

i the quate

the soond

o the eucharist brekkin

in the silence

the sound

of the eucharist breaking

 tree sculpture:

The Canaul Biggers  -

tree-trunk chists, tree-trunk airms

tree sculpture:

The Canal Builders  -

tree-trunk chests, tree-trunk arms

dour nod

tae the eildit jogger

...ah pech hamewart

reluctant nod

to the elderly jogger

...I puff homeward

slaw train

tae San Fransisco

Kerouac...Kerouac...Kerouac

slow train

to San Fransisco

Kerouac...Kerouac...Kerouac

he sains the cot   -

the caunle's lowe heelds awa

as though a draucht

he blesses the crib  -

the candle's flame leans awa

as though a draught

beads throuch the fingers

hailness in ilka maument  -

SMILE! dour-nebbed wifie

beads through the fingers

completeness in each moment  -

SMILE! grim-faced lady

the sea's swall,

a faurawa pipe  -  she speirs

the time...hou tae repone?

the sea's swell,

a faraway flute  -  she asks

the time...how to answer?

murther an dirdum

blinters on's neb  -

peerie weir-gemmes sodger

murder and mayhem

flicker on his face  -

little war-games soldier

brennin leaves  -

reek daidlin

amang the brainches 

burning leaves  -

smoke lingering

among the branches

wunter wedder  -

staunin it the winnock

...ma ain snawglobe

winter weather   -

standing at the window

...my own snowglobe

snell mornin  -

it Mass, hunkert

bi the votive caunles

cold morning  -

at Mass, sitting

by the votive candles

drien snaw  -

ilka tree

a siller birk

driven snow  -

every tree

a silver birch

wund throuch

faw'n leaves

...pattrenmakar

wind through

the fallen leaves

...patternmaker

peerie skwurrel

bussie-tailed  -

soopin the leaves

little squirrel

bushy-tailed  -

sweeping the leaves

alang the fuitpeth

Reid Rab daffs it

claucht-me-gin-ye-can

along the footpath

the robin plays

catch-me-if-you-can

aneath the sauchs

in emerant watter  -

the hern

beneath the willows

in green water  -

the heron

armistice day paraud  -

on the tree

a hinmaist pickle leaves

armistice day parade  -

on the tree

a last few leaves

skifflin throuch leaves  -

hairst

fir the bodach an the aik

shuffling through leaves  -

autumn

for the old man and the oak

day-daw  -

burdsang

an craw scrunchin's gears

dawn  -

birdsong

and crow crunching his gears

blowster ower  -

the maple tree's

bleck skelet

storm over  -

the maple tree's

black skeleton

craw an saw-neb

haudin thair distance  -

sowpin frae the samen burn

crow and goosander

keeping their distance  -

drinking from the same stream

ootgoavin ilk ither

hern an me

...till he wuns!

outstaring each other

heron and I

...until he wins!

efter bonfire nicht

daw's reid lift

...greeshoch

after bonfire night

dawn's red sky

...embers

hairst leaves  -

the boolin green

a bricht orange

autumn leaves  -

the bowling green

a bright orange

wast wund

shooglin the leaves

...prayer flags

west wind

shaking the leaves

...prayer flags

(For Gaza)

monks 

see tae thair sinflooers

... thair tonsured heids

monks

tend their sunflowers

... their tonsured heads

 hallae e'en  

wutchies it the doors  -

yin hoosehauder hidin

halloween

witches at the doors  -

one householder hiding

scunnert youthlins  -

on the stamed bus winnock

nochts an corses

bored youngsters  -

on the steamed bus window

noughts and crosses

hairst leaves

i the weet  -

bonnie causey airt

autumn leaves

in the rain

beautiful street art

leaves faw

ligg

wi the hameless

leaves fall

lie

with the homeless

blatter  --

dreevin the gentie maser

gyte

storm  -

driving the gentle acer

mad

whaur the derk lift

trysts wi the derk watter:

a keyhole o licht...swan

where the dark sky

meets the dark water:

a keyhole of light...swan

the scales an chords

o the blatter

blawin throuch the toon

the scales and chords

of the storm

blowing through the town

oot frae Mass  -

tentie o craw

dookin's breid i the burn

out from Mass  -

watching crow

dipping its bread in the stream

hern's

lang spirlie shanks

...shilpit ballerina

heron's

long thin legs 

...skinny ballerina

hairst  -

acer leaves reid nebbed

it the nakitness

autumn  -

acer leaves red faced

at the nakedness

 wundfaw  -

athort the green

aipples boolin alang

windfall  -

across the lawn

apples bowling along

ilka day

a'm claucht  -

wab threids in ma mou

every day

I'm caught  -

web threids in my mouth

years gang by  -

frae ilk watterside

sauchs it last tiggin

years go by  -

from each riverbank

willows at last touching

laich sin  -

ma sheddae

danders aside me

low sun  -

my shadow

walks beside me

peer tree sindial

streetchin

fir oors

pear tree sundial

stretching

for hours

the jeely rowe

o staunin

on a hodden slug

the jelly roll

of standing

on an unseen slug