The mathematician John Venn was born on this day in 1834.
To commemorate the occasion, here’s a poem in the form of a Venn diagram.
At the Intersection
Selected poemswriting
You Took the Last Bus Home
News, Selected poemsI took delivery yesterday of some advance copies of the gorgeous new edition of ‘You Took the Last Bus Home’.
In celebration of that, here’s the title poem …
You Took the Last Bus Home
you took
the last bus home
don’t know how
you got it through the door
you’re always doing amazing stuff
like the time
you caught that train
The Bad Salad of William Archibald Spooner
Selected poemsWhy do I always watch my birds?
I know that statement sounds absurd
but today I reached an all-lime toe
when I received a blushing crow.
It’s wetting gorse – and here’s the crunch:
my conversation packs a lunch.
I’m not sure when all this began
but I think I need a plaster man
to help me when my stouth gets muck.
I should sit, perhaps, and bead a rook,
fight a liar, or flick some powers.
No, I think I’ll go and shake a tower.
…………………………………………………………………..
The Reverend William Archibald Spooner was born on this day in 1844. He’s remembered today for his unfortunate habit of getting his words muddled up. Happy Spoonerism Day to all those who belly crate.
Wild Weekend
Selected poemsSunday – and the squirrels are lazing in their branches,
the sheep are congregating for morning service,
and the bears are sleeping off their sore heads.
The sloths are taking things slow, the hippos are wallowing,
the cats are curling up on the newspaper in front of the television.
The alpacas will spend the day in their fluffies.
Not everyone is taking it easy. The deer are up already
for a walk around the park. The ducks are planning a trip
across the lake. The salmon have gone wild swimming.
The snails are pottering about the garden, while the crows
scan its aisles for materials and a spot of DIY. The pigeons have split
up: some are hanging around the shopping centre,
others intend to spend the afternoon at the Test match.
The lions are having an old friend over for dinner, the camels
are baking, the spiders are browsing their webs, and the humans…
the humans are wondering where the weekend has gone
as they stave off the prospect of another beastly Monday,
questioning the natural order of things.
In the Park
Selected poemsIn the park,
the tall trees are waving
in the afternoon breeze.
I wave back
only to realize they are waving
at the person behind me.
Today’s Climate Forecast
Selected poemsAnd onto today’s climate forecast,
where we can expect to see a prolonged spell of inaction,
interspersed with patches of hazy promises
across many areas.
Over Westminster and other centres of government,
a build-up of hot air will cause inactivity to soar
to record levels over the coming days,
in spite of the high pressure.
Elsewhere, a front of chronic misinformation
will sweep in from the east,
bringing with it a thick band of climate change deniers
and the chance of scattered falsehoods,
while powerful gusts of idiocy and ignorance
look set to blow across social media.
Outbreaks of ‘We just got on with it in 1976’
and ‘It’s called the British summer, mate’ are likely.
In summary: unsettling.
Sounds Made by Humans – out now!
NewsLast week saw the release of ‘Sounds Made by Humans’, an album of ‘poem songs’ I’ve made with the brilliant Catenary Wires.
The album is out now on vinyl and CD; it’s also available for streaming on Spotify and elsewhere, and can be downloaded.
Some places where you can find it…
ROUGH TRADE (including limited edition ‘white vinyl’ edition):
We’re really proud of it and we’ll be taking it on the road with us in the UK in November, for some evenings of music and poetry. More on that in a few weeks.
Happy listening x
Early Morning Love Poem
Assorted PoemsDuvet,
you are so groovet,
I’d like to stay under you
all of Tuesdet.
Let Sleeping Cats Lie – out now
NewsIt’s UK publication day for ‘Let Sleeping Cats Lie’, my collection of poems about pets.
I wrote the for book children, aged between 7 and 95, and it’s available through all the usual bookshop places. You can find some of the online retailers here: https://linktr.ee/brianbilston
There are a few signed copies knocking about, too. Here’s a small list of some of the independent bookshops who have signed copies: https://linktr.ee/letsleepingcatslie
Anyway, that’s about all I have to say on the matter so I shall finish writing this post now.
Index of Poems I Shall Never Write
Assorted Poems, Selected poemsI’ve been having a bit of a sort out over the summer. I’m throwing out some old titles for poems which I shall never write. Free to a good home.
