Black Lego dragon pictured on sand alongside plastic knight figurine, with sea and cloudy blue sky in background

#StGeorgesDay

Word Crunching I  wrote  a poem  on a page  but then each line grew  to the word sum of the previous two  until I began to worry about all these words coming with such frequency  because as you can see, it can be easy to run out of space when a poem gets all Fibonacci sequency  Brian Bilston

Today’s poem is called ‘Word Crunching’.

This is the Day They Dream Of The mind-bending sequel to the Times Thriller of the Ye…

5 🌟 to This is the Day They Dream Of by Robert Goddard #booksky
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I lost Richard - I think he must have fallen out.

An Invention of Collective Nouns   A reckoning of spreadsheets. A distraction of smartphones. A prattle of podcasts. A mispronunciation of scones.   A clique of photographers. A heard of precedents. An enjambment of poets. A grope of presidents.   A pile of haemorrhoids. A bunion of personal trainers. A bout of estimations. A condescension of mansplainers.   A stroke of geniuses. A spot of adolescents. An embarrassment of Richards. A collection correction of pedants. Brian Bilston

Today’s poem is called ‘An Invention of Collective Nouns’.

Godfall Godfall eBook : Jensen, Van: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Godfall by Van Jensen is a bargain 99p on Kindle today #affiliatelink #booksky
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Books are the best weapon in the world. Arm yourself! - Doctor Who

Books - you want them, we’ve got them! - Michael

The cover of The Best of Everything by Kit de Waal

Fabulous #bookpost yesterday - thank you @biggreenbooks.bsky.social & @helenliz.bsky.social and #buyastrangerabook day 🥰

Ooh, I have that in my TBR and I'm very much looking forward to it. I love her writing.

"I keep eating my feather pillow in my sleep. It's really starting to depress me."
"Down in the dumps?"
"I dunno. I haven't been yet".

Everything Will Swallow You, with an owl bookmark.

Everything Will Swallow You, with a Green Man bookmark.

Everything Will Swallow You, with a chicken bookmark.

THREAD. Today I'm giving away 3 signed hardbacks of my latest book, each with fab linoprint bookmarks, made by my mum Jo.

Repost & reply to enter.

You might like it if you like:
Folkloric creatures
Old records
Intricate psychedelic stories
The idea of circular time

All shares much-appreciated.

The Cost of Loving I love you more than life itself but I swear I’ll love you better if you let me turn the heating off and you wear another sweater. I cannot get enough of you – I’m completely in your thrall. I love to watch you bending over to unplug the telly at the wall. Yes, you’re the only one for me, my sweet and fragrant flower – now you’ve ditched your daily bath for a cost-efficient shower. Make no mistake, I love you loads, you send my head into a spin. Our cycle’s set to eco-wash: let’s cram as much as we can in. My cup of love’s full to the brim, it overflows, my petal. So make yourself a brew with me, but don’t overfill the kettle.

Today’s poem is called ‘The Cost of Loving’.

Just a thought: How about we stop shaming the poor for buying things that may not be essential, and start shaming the rich for making a profit off things that are essential?

The Question    Erm, well – I begin, shifting nervously in my chair –  if it’s true there is no heaven and no hell,   no eternity or long hereafter,   no divine plan or offstage direction from an invisible hand,  then how do we make sense of it all,  how do we make our way through this life, this glorious, ridiculous, ramshackle world of ours,  with its wars and brutality, conflicts and petty arguments,  the ten thousand tiny acts of kindness   which happen unnoticed before breakfast,  and all that love and pain, happiness and loneliness  that comes to us unannounced, by turns,   as if we ourselves were pitched daily   onto the waves of one of its vast, mysterious oceans,  not knowing whether today is the day we drown  or we find ourselves washed up   on some strange but friendly shore?     Mmm – you say, after a lengthy silence –  what I meant was … do you have any questions   about the job?  Brian Bilston

Today’s poem is called ‘The Question’.

Utterly Betrayed   The Rt Hon. Ralph St John Cholmondley having moped around glolmondley for three weeks in Belvoir with glandular felvoir, decided to surprise his fiancé in Frome.   Bursting into the rome, he found her cavorting with an awick from Hawick (via Worcester), whose close attentions had left her all of a florcester.   His fiancé, who hailed from Beaulieu, begged him not to get upset undeaulieu, as Ralph stared at them, boggle-eyed. Things aren’t how they look, she cried. Brian Bilston

Today’s poem is called ‘Utterly Betrayed’.

Moderation: LISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026 Moderation: LISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026 eBook : Castillo, Elaine: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Moderation by Elaine Castillo is a bargain 99p on Kindle today #affiliatelink #booksky
amzn.to/4886nu4

Wordle 1,764 4/6

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Give a cannibal a dead scientist and he'll eat faraday...

In the UK we call them lifts but in the US they call them elevators, because we’re raised differently.

From latest ‘Private Eye’ shared from Prof Humphries #skystorians #history #classics

You’re only one book away from a better day.

Good morning. We are open. 📖☕️

Assorted Haiku Haiku #2511   Tourists wait in line to enter Machu Picchu. Oh, look! A high queue. Haiku #564127   how dare you suggest I have a short attention spanish omelette   Limeraiku   There once was a young limerick from Kew who turned into a haiku. The Constraints of Haiku   Tied up all night with a haiku dominatrix and her three-line whip.   Shakespearean Haiku   Shall I compare thee To a summer’s day? Alright – Thou art pretty hot.   How to Write a Haiku   The last line should flow seamlessly from the first two – hippopotamus.    Brian Bilston  

It’s International Haiku Day apparently and so for today’s poetry offering, here are a few assorted haiku.

Cover of Bring the House Down by Charlotte Runcie

5 🌟 to Bring the House Down by Charlotte Runcie #booksky
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Requiem for Whoever   It’s time now to sleep for the long day is through, and bright shine the stars in memory of you, as you slip from this realm into another but still in our hearts, dear precious a) lover b) family member c) friend or d) business associate (please delete as appropriate).   We will carry you with us, your sun will not set – after all, is there anyone here who could ever forget your a) thirst for adventure b) generous spirit c) good sense of humour or d) love of test cricket.   You were unique; a one-off. But now sadly missed. You were cherished by all – for who could resist your a) infectious laughter b) pale blue eyes c) pencil moustache or d) powerful thighs.  

You taught us so much about what’s right and what’s true, and I would like to think I’ve inherited from you your a) deep sense of justice b) pursuit of perfection c) devilish good looks or d) record collection.   Without you this planet is a shabbier place. It’s empty and pointless. A profound waste of space. For cruel Death snatched you from us a) far too soon b) after a good innings or c) last Tuesday afternoon   and so it is that we are gathered here together to pay our respects and say goodbye to whoever in this beautiful a) crematorium b) sacred site or c) suburban back garden in the middle of the night,   and know that all of us here wish you the best as you begin your new journey a) to eternal rest b) to a heavenly realm of joy unalloyed or c) kicking and screaming into the void. Brian Bilston

Today’s poem is called ‘Requiem for Whoever’.

It’s one of my more tender, thoughtful poems, as I attempt to gain a small share of the lucrative funeral poetry market.

The Last of Earth: One of BBC's '12 books to read in 2026' The Last of Earth: One of BBC's '12 books to read in 2026' eBook : Anappara, Deepa: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

The Last of Earth by Deepa Anappara is a bargain 99p on Kindle today #affiliatelink #booksky
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On Tender Hooks   Let me cut to the cheese: every time you open your mouth, I’m on tender hooks.   You charge at the English language like a bowl in a china shop. I wish you’d nip it in the butt.   On the spurt of the moment, another eggcorn tumbles out. It’s time you gave up the goat.   Curve your enthusiasm and don’t give them free range – the chickens will come home to roast.   Sorry to be the flaw in your ointment. You must think me a damp squid, I suppose –   but they spread like wildflowers in a doggy-dog world, and your spear of influence grows.   Brian Bilston

Today’s poem is called ‘On Tender Hooks’.

A Bad, Bad Place: The must-read crime debut of 2026, perfect for fans of The List of Suspicious Things A Bad, Bad Place: The must-read crime debut of 2026, perfect for fans of The List of Suspicious Things eBook : Crawford, Frances: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

A Bad, Bad Place by Frances Crawford is a bargain 99p on Kindle today #affiliatelink #booksky
amzn.to/4tcTR57

Job Interview with a Cat    Tell me, what is it about this position that interests you?  The warmth, perhaps? The security?  Or the power you must feel by rendering me useless?  Feel free to expand if you wish.    I see you have had experience of similar positions.  Can you talk about a time when you got somebody’s tongue?  Or were set amongst the pigeons?  Tell me about a time you’ve had to deal with a difficult situation – for instance, have you ever found yourself in a bag? If so, how were you let out of it?     How would you feel if you had to walk on hot bricks?   What about a tin roof of similar temperature?   With reference to any of your past lives,   has curiosity ever killed you?    Finally, where do you see yourself in five years’ time?  In the same position? Or higher up to catch the sunlight?  What’s that? You would like to be where I am now?  Oh, it appears you already are.  Brian Bilston

Today’s poem is called ‘Job Interview with a Cat’.

The cover of Is a River Alive? by Rob MacFarlane

5 🌟 to Is a River Alive? by @robgmacfarlane.bsky.social
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Monday is a state of mind   Monday – You are a fixed penalty notice on the windscreen of my week You are three weasels in a trench coat shoplifting happiness           from my tiny thrift store of joy You are a pinata stuffed with wasps Or a tombola where the first prize is a tube of Canestan You are the audio book of Morrissey’s novel, read by Joe Pasquale A game of Russian roulette with a bullet in every chamber Edvard Munch’s The Scream painted by Rolf Harris. Can you guess what it is yet? Yes, it’s Monday and it’s bloody horrible.   You give me the same feeling as when I hear somebody who I had previously considered to be a good friend           unironically utter the word ‘holibobs’  

I am no historian but I have it on good authority it was the very thought of you that made the library at Alexandria burn itself down and those fifteenth-century boy princes throw themselves out of the tower   Monday – You are a bag of peanuts containing the label ‘MAY CONTAIN NUTS’ You are an unexpected item in the bagging area, except for the fact that you are expected because the bagging area is merely a metaphor for the passage of time and oh crap, it’s Monday again   You are an improper fraction whose state of impropriety has become so unacceptable

that all the other fractions no longer want anything to do with you and have organized a worldwide walkout of fractions, with the result that it is only possible for economies to function  through the application of whole numbers   Monday – the poster child for cystitis a flag waved at a prom in celebration of lift music a footballer’s haircut on a papal legate a stock photograph of somebody taking a stock photograph                of a tub of stock powder a punch bag swinging back to smack you in the face a bad poem which goes on far too long and with no proper end   Brian Bilston

Today’s poem is called ‘Monday is a State of Mind’.

#motivationalmonday