toon crier
his muckle wame
whaur he hains's vice




town crier
his huge stomach
where he keeps his voice

leaves breenge
towarts me:
wuid scartin




leaves race
towards me:
mad scratching

his concertina
gaitherin stour
jigs hapt




his concertina
gathering dust
jigs enfolded

she maks-up:
in the keekin-gless
her corrie-haundit twin smirks




she makes-up:
in the mirror
her left-handed twin smiles

bricht mornin
maws whurlin
yin in ma teacup




bright morning
gulls wheeling
one in my teacup

snell day
haun in haun
gled she's weirin glivs




nippy day
hand in hand
glad she's wearing gloves

liggin cantie -
her braith
on ma rig




lying contented -
her breath
on my back

gean
sparks hingin
refleck Yule lichts




cherry tree
raindrops hanging
reflect Christmas lights

athort the perk
the crippilt chiel's trike:
its bockety trinnle




across the park
the handicapped man's tricycle:
its buckled wheel

the muin the nicht
seam a fingerbrod
whit a banjo!




the moon tonight
fit a fingerboard
what a banjo!


(after Sokan)

dour-faced shoppers
a gangrel croons
aneath Yule lichts




grim-faced shoppers
a tramp sings
beneath Christmas lights

heich i the brainches
a plastic baguette poke
giein the finger




high in the branches
a plastic baguette bag
giving the finger

droondit in maw leid
the towerists
skail orrals




drowned in gull language
the tourists
scatter scraps

rugby practeese
vices belloch
hern shaks weet frae' s neb




rugby practice
voices bellow
heron shakes rain from his beak

the crippilt lassie smirks -
a haud by a saicont time
tint




the handicapped girl smiles -
I pass by a second time
lost

fantoosh fitwark
bleckies dumpin
thair wey throuch leaves




fancy footwork
blackbirds kicking
their way through leaves

chinese lassies geegle
ferrgrun lichts refleckit
i thair glesses




chinese girls giggle
fairground lights reflected
in their glasses

the skeetchers
birl an snuve
sheddaes o maws on the slidder




the skaters
spin and glide
shadows of gulls on the ice

in the het sinlicht
midgies hove up
in shooglie columns




in the warm sunlight
midges rise up
in shaky columns

throuch the weet
a dowie sang
clinks plash intae's cog




through the rain
a sad song
coins splash into his pail