the bairn
bletherin tae me -
brawer nor wurds




the baby
chatting to me -
better than words

lichtin up space:
the super-nova
'HOGMANAY'!




lighting up space:
the super-nova
'HOGMANAY'!

a scrieve hame
desert stoor
slairit




a letter home
desert dust
smudging

pinchin
skwurrel's nits
...hameless an hungert




stealing
squirrel's nuts
...homeless and hungry

echain
throuch the cosmos:
brattles shentin us




echoing
through the cosmos:
gunfire shaming us

cailleach
gaitherin hally
beads o bluid




old lady
gathering holly
beads of blood

throuch a fite lanscape
the bleck burn
...ink o a wunter haiku




through a white landscape
the black stream
...ink of a winter haiku

furst Yule -
forenent the tree
her een chyngin colour




first Christmas -
in front of the tree
her eyes changing colour

wund amang the sprots -
the cailleach
tellin'r beads




wind among the reeds -
the old lady
telling her beads

festival's en -
a lane pipie stauns
sax inch frae the muin




festival's end -
a lone piper stands
six inches from the moon

causies skimmer i the weet -
the hallion's neb
dreeps intae's bucket




cobbles glitter in the rain -
the clown's face
drips into his pail

nicht soonds
fauldit inby
the auld saxyphone




night sounds
at rest inside
the old saxophone

weet bates
on the leaves
hairst rags




rain beats
on the leaves
autumn rags

bag-wifie
orrals o drames
powkin throuch




bag-lady
bits of dreams
poking through

stuckies
reestin
the day's blethers




starlings
roosting
the day's gossip

scuil hoalidays -
granfaither an me
pishin aneath the muin




school holidays -
grandfather and I
pissing beneath the moon

peat lowe -
we hunker, threy glowein nebs
goavin at a fowert




peat fire -
we sit, three glowing faces
gazing at a fourth

deid on the kirk steps
a maggie...
braw in's vestments




dead on the church steps
a magpie...
fine in his vestments

readin Issa...
hunkerin
in a sinblink




reading Issa...
sitting
in a sunbeam

hallowday -
fleggin the postie:
a left-ower bogle




All Saints' day -
frightening the postman:
a left-over ghost