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