Listen

Sitting one night, in the garden,
After choir, when songs were sung,
I asked how You communicate with me.
The gentle breeze took up her pace,
Ever so quietly,  the blackbird sang goodnight.
The buses made their noise
Across the slated roofs.

When people poise,
Your world makes its noise.
‘Twas then I heard Your every word
On every bus, in every bird,
Your word to me of what I have been given, And whenever I ask, You listen.

Hot or What

‘Let’s get down and dirty,

Spread the sun factor thirty.’

‘A dinnae bother,’ he retorts,

Sqeezing intae last year’s shorts,

‘A’ve got skin like leather.’

‘Away wie ye, ya blether!’

Later, in Vicky Park.

‘What about hiding aneath yon tree?’

”That’ll be cosy, you and me.’

‘We could stay till after dark?’

‘Dae A hear an ascending lark?

Night night.

Borders

To Borders and back we journey

Always there, and always back.

And in the process, learn things,

Depending the county,

Depending the fling.

We dance and we dance,

As license allows,

In the quiet of the evening.

Once home in our place,

I always remember,

That look on your face.

June Nearby

Sitting early morning in the chair
Counting the flowers that have been, no longer there:
Surprised by snowdrop
Atoned through aconite
Joy abundant daffodil
Loud the Bluebell
Whispered a cowslip
And now yon backwash of greens
Other colour hardly seen
I wait the rose, of course
Japanese anemone promising
Mallow soon be showing pink
Wallflower round the garden sink
And I shall rise the same,
From this auld chair
A moving to the window,
Stand and stare.🙏

Sunset

The dying embers of a setting sun

Takes its place,

The disappearing voice

Of bairns ending fun

Stored until another day

When the rising orb declares the time,

Is yours, and maybe even mine,

If I’ve got my timing right

When day cometh out of night.

Eclipse …

Where’s yon orb A spoke aboot?

Covered oer wie tufts o fluff

A had pit oot my shorts and polo

Ach, A’ve aboot had enough

It’s nae surprise

Ma spirits rise

The minute A see its face,

But it never takes oer long

Fir muckle clouds tae take its place

Heatwaves forecast, then nowt,

Eclipes Ellispsis is about.

Ne’er Cast a Cloot

Till May is oot

At 28 degrees A cast, withoot a doot.

Yesterday wis hotter

Than that teaser Maggie Potter

A tried tae keep things cool

By dampening a toowel

And pitting it oer ma heid

An only lifted it aince at lunch

Tae hae a drink an feed.

Sae dinnae listen

When yon orb does glisten,

Cast yon cloot, an throw it oot

Summer’s here, withoot a doot.

Done Being Dreich

I noticed as I strolled across the park,

It wisne raining, it wisnae dark,

And folk were sitting all around,

On blankets, benches and on the ground.

It cannae be May, I said tae myself

As I put the woolies on yon shelf,

And donned the shorts, (a wee bit tighter)

I put that down tae that all-nighter.

Think I’ll put them on the day,

Tae wander through the darling buds o May.