Ian Brownlie

@ianbrownlie

Writer of poetry/fiction for children (Dirigible, Tyger Tyger, Little Thoughts, Nimblewitlit, The Toy) and adults (Shine, Viridine, Underbelly, Rough Diamond) | Pushcart nom '26, Times/CH LL | he/him

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Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· 11d

And if you want to get all Ekphrastic about it, this is the train station I was picturing while writing it!

A photo of Wythall train station taken from the bridge above it. Wythall is a station midway between Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon, UK. In the picture there are two railway tracks going down the middle and a platform either side, both having a small shelter. There are pathways either side leading down to their respective platforms. There are lots of trees and fields around, and it is deserted aside from the figure of a person walking down the pathway on the left.

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· 11d

A #villanelle today! I haven't written one in a while, and the repetition felt like it fitted what I was trying to achieve. @thebrokenspine.co.uk #PoemsAbout #LastTrain

down in the train station

i know that this will cause some pain
as flurries strobe the station’s light
for me it’s gone, the final train

no use glancing down the tracks again
timetables mocking hopeless sight
i know that this will cause some pain

the shelter’s only shelter from the rain
not shadows lurking in the night
for me it’s gone, the final train

no phone or cash, thoughts start to drain
though i underestimate my plight
i know that this will cause some pain

voices now invading my domain
phlegm-flecked they rasp with spite
for me it’s gone, the final train

it’s what they need, not what they’ll gain
yielding, there is no flight or flight
i know that this will cause some pain
for me it’s gone, the final train

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· 16d

A slightly more personal idea for #BadHabits came to me this afternoon. And I thought about just holding it back (because, you know, some places don't take poems that have been shared on social media already).But...maybe #PoemsAbout is addictive? @thebrokenspine.co.uk

putting in the work

i started smoking
not because i wanted to smoke
and certainly not because i enjoyed it
not even because it felt cool

but because
i wanted to smoke weed
which certainly did feel cool
or 'draw'
which was the name
by which we referred to it then
and i had been told that
i wouldn't be able to smoke it
wouldn’t get the benefits
without developing my lungs
by smoking tobacco first

then for fifteen years
cigarettes helped
with the prompt smoothing of anxiety
a sense of closure after food
and the avoidance of social situations
none of which were ever adequately replaced

i loved the taste too
that bittersmoke rasp
so sue me

now i don't smoke
for the usual reasons
i gave up drinking too
and i haven't touched
illegal substances
in even longer

which just goes to prove
absolutely nothing

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· 18d

I have plenty of #BadHabits, I just decided not to write about any of them. #PoemsAbout #Limerick @thebrokenspine.co.uk

There was a peculiar rabbit
Who had a bad nail-chewing habit
Now I don't like to moan
But they were seldom his own
If your finger went near him he'd grab it

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· 21d

After resisting the urge to write a poem about bottoms (again!) I managed to come up with this more considered effort. @thetoypress.bsky.social #WordOfTheWeek #Moon #PoetryCommunity #WritingCommunity #KidLit

The Pool

Trapped inside
The moon soaks up water
Like a fresh sponge
In a bath of twinkling
And popping
Starry suds

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· 25d

Very pleased to have some short fiction published in the fantastic @underbellypress.bsky.social today! Read my story Everything Beautiful is Far Away and all the other excellent work here: underbellypress.wixsite.com/home/issue-s... #WritingCommunity #FlashFiction #ShortFiction

Simply the title and byline:
IAN BROWNLIE
Everything Beautiful is Far Away

The cover of Underbelly Press issue 7 Summer 2026.

The picture is a yellow bird, I'm assuming dead, lying down amongst some black and white sticks, leaves and maybe hay?

A one paragraph extract from the story:

Nathan gesticulated wildly, making the large balcony feel tiny. He
punctuated his stories of betrayal and disappointment with sweeping arm movements and low, forceful kicks to reinforce his points. In-between these he stalked the balcony like a pathetic King Kong, sidelined halfway up a building, no planes being scrambled to meet him.

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· 25d

Thanks to @thebrokenspine.co.uk #PoemsAbout #ExitWounds

an exit wounds

recycled air breaks
through the apartment's wind tunnel
carving new paths
around
the now emptied spaces

a bullet never says goodbye

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· 27d

I don't generally write poetry about football, or even mention it much on here. But yesterday my club, Aston Villa, announced a pretty diabolical sponsorship deal with Rwanda, and I don't have any other way to get mad about it. (Misspellings are intentional.) #AVFC #Poetry #Poem #Rwanda

sportswashing

visit rwanda
discard support pillars
watch your walls crumble
or watch aston villa’s

be late to a partey
you should not have attended
shred your best work
leave ethics suspended

eat rotten fruit
bet on non-runners
follow the footsteps
of villanous gunners

leave new shirts unworn
lock yourself in a chiller
punch your own face repeatedly
be aston villa

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· 27d

I have a feeling Clement Clarke Moore would not approve of my version of his timeless classic. I doubt he'd be the only one either. Here's the start of it... #Poem #WritingCommunity #Christmas #Farts

The opening of Farter Christmas by Ian Brownlie (based on Clement Clarke Moore’s A Visit from St. Nicholas)

Farter Christmas

It was twenty past Christmas from city to dell
When through all the hushed houses there came a great smell
No creature did stir, but a big tummy rumbled
And under his breath a brown-costumed man grumbled

Grabbing some loo roll to help guide the way
With a brief bottom-burp, he jumped down from his sleigh
Lowering himself with the toilet-y paper
He soon reached the rooftop, in mists of brown vapour

He adjusted his suit cuffs, which stank of old tripe
And squatted down waiting for something quite ripe
Then swift as the wind, like a jet-propelled dart
Down chimney pots swept the most GINOURMOUS fart!

FFFRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!

Well the noses did twitch through all of the houses
On the humans, dogs, cats and even the mouses
Oh goodness! Oh gracious! Oh heavens! Good golly!
So stinky! So toxic! It’s wilting the holly!

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· 28d

With thanks, as ever, to @thetoypress.bsky.social #WordOfTheWeek #PoetryCommunity #WritingCommunity #KidLit #Limerick

A Limerick I Meant to Post Yesterday

The Champion's victory parade
Was significantly delayed
Crowned best in the nation
At procrastination
It was so late their young fans had greyed!

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jul 12

I'm aware that this is unlikely to be my most popular poem.

norway

hey jude
don’t take it bad
it’s partly that i just got back
from holidaying
in the gracious land
of your opponents
and partly
because my love for the england team
has gradually swayed and drifted
like waved flags
and drunk football fans
but
I really wish norway had bloody won last night

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jul 10

I'm still very much a procrastinator. #PoemsAbout #PowerCut @thebrokenspine.co.uk

first cut

write the title
underline it with a ruler
then move the ruler too soon
so the pen smudges
as usual

position the candle
so a drop of wax
falls on the book
flatten it with a tap into a setting disc
then stop

sorry miss
couldn’t do the homework
on crop rotation
and enclosure
because power cut

i feel bulletproof
but she asks why
i couldn’t have done it anyway
as i obviously
had a candle

before i can answer she mentions
the five previous days i had to do it in
and the dangers of leaving things until the last minute
which is when i switch off
and prepare for my punishment

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jul 8

Drop some wings

A picture of Condorman, from the film Condorman

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jul 7

The fjords, or a lake off them, near Olden in Norway. Waterfall coming down the mountainside. A clutch of small houses at the bottom. And a sliver of turquoise water.

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jul 7

Currently on a cruise in #Norway, so not finding much time for #Poetry (or much of anything else). Such beautiful views that I thought I should attempt to write something. It didn't really work out as expected. It's a #Haiku with a knobbly bit on the end. #Poem #PoetryCommunity

norwegian wouldn’t

fjords inspire the soul
but provoke no useful words
let them wash over
you

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jul 3

When I was younger I really wanted to do a road trip from New York to LA. Not so sure any more! @thebrokenspine.co.uk #PoemsAbout #CheapMotels

the american dream

we live the road
surf cheap motels
through cardboard walls
throw reckless yells
we sweat together
sex sure can sell
then light ‘em up
this can't end well

but down my actual road
such things are only seen on screen
so we can just watch
and wonder
what small portion of north america
is anything like this
daydreaming that ends
when the television is switched off

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jun 26

Thanks to @thebrokenspine.co.uk for putting the Roxette earworm in my head all week. But I shall still participate in #PoemsAbout #TheLook

all in

we lock curious eyes
across the crowded student union bar
it's week one
and i am high
on only two fizzy beers

a band is being formed
and i've told them i can sing
which i believe to be true
at that moment

so i push my luck
fasten on a foreign face
and move to sit down
on the clammy carpet next to her
i am thinking about how cool
i must look
to my new bandmates
and not about flirting with a stranger
which helps

we talk of nothing
circling
and then she asks
why i had come over
i say that she was staring at me
and she replies
that she had merely forgotten her glasses
that night

my mask become looser
but her eyes still consider me
curiously

and
yada yada yada
after a fashion
we become friends
though i never find out for sure
if she had been telling the truth
about her eyes

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jun 23

Forecast over the next few days in the UK is for the kind of sunny weather we are ill-equipped for! @thetoypress.bsky.social #WordOfTheWeek #PoetryCommunity #WritingCommunity #KidLit

Everything Melts

Tuesday 23rd June 2026

It's too hot!
Is the sun a bit cross?
A set aside lolly’s soon a complete loss.

Wednesday 24th June 2026

It's too hot!
Has the sun declared war?
I'm drinking liquid ice cream through a straw.

Thursday 25th June 2026

I give up!
The sun is the winner.
I guess I'll just have melted salad for dinner.

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jun 21

It's not Saturday any more, but my brain wouldn't let me NOT post this.

Pictures of 4 rhyming pop culture icons:
Mark (Hammill)
Spark (Muriel)
Park (Chan-wook)
Shark (Baby)

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jun 19

I started writing a completely different poem a couple of days ago, but this morning I realised I couldn't finish it (not soon anyway). #PoemsAbout #OutAfterMidnight @thebrokenspine.co.uk

the hummingbird

an indie club in birmingham
that let me in
at fifteen
despite my height
and despite my face

we drink red stripe
move about a little
learn to smoke
live with blank disappointment
sheriff fatman
bang
this is how it feels
kennedy
drinkrinserepeat

two miles to walk home
still
from the bus stop
still purring

one mile
still
to walk home alone
last friend dropped off

the old stable building
abandoned
that somebody once told me
a spooky story about
i didn't believe in ghost stories
but at 3am
at 3am
there is an iridescence of darkness

i float by
on the other side of the road
where there is no pavement
and then i take flight

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jun 18

A pie chart showing Human Job Categories in 2038. The red slice accounts for 5% and is labelled 'Prompting A.I.'. The blue slice accounts for the remaining 95% and is labelled 'Solving problems cause by A.I.'.

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jun 16

It's #RefugeeWeek. I've submitted this silly/not silly poem to a number of places but it was never wanted, so seems apt to share it here and now instead. #Poem #Poetry #PoetryCommunity

borders

i live in a country
it has borders you know
i don’t know who put them there
it was a long time ago
and i don’t know why it matters
why some people care
that i was born behind this line
and not over there

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jun 12

Not messing about with this one. #PoemsAbout #WrongBody @thebrokenspine.co.uk

false binary

they say
you have the wrong body

they're right

wing

fascist

arseholes

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jun 10

A toe hello to @thetoypress.bsky.social! #WordOfTheWeek #WorldOceanDay2026 #PoetryCommunity #WritingCommunity #KidLit

A Toe Hello

I stood right there holding two trout
You were some way down the street
It was too noisy for me to shout
So I just had to wave with my feet!

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jun 9

Really?

A mocked up badge for the Manchester United Irish Red Devils. There is a red devil on it, and the Irish flag is crammed in too. It's...something.

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jun 9

Couldn't resist taking an old Dorothy Parker poem out for a spin for #PoetsOfDoom @jenthorne.bsky.social @daveashleypoet.bsky.social @sonnetsmith.bsky.social @phylogeneticsteve.bsky.social

Resumé Redux

Offices bore you;
Labour's tough;
Customers ignore you;
And waiters huff.
Nursing is draining;
Boxers fight;
I.T.'s all training;
You might as well write.

There is a fancy, swirling little footer at the end of the poem, of the type you might find if you were trying to make something look old and classy, and didn't mind a bit of a cliche at the same time.

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jun 5

My first thought for #OpportunityKnocks was to write about Lenny Henry, but luckily I dismissed that idea as I've just realised he was actually on New Faces! #PoemsOn #PoemsAbout #PoemsAllOverTheBloominPlace @zoomburst.substack.com

let battle commence

here they come
dressed to the nines
all in white
booty shaking

there i go
egotistically hopeful
in my dressing gown
cocksurepessimistic

swords cross in the distant woods
clangalangalang
i convince myself
that this is the sound i hear
until my hope is returned to me
via email

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jun 4

I went to Oxford briefly yesterday. Wanted to make sure I fitted in all the important tourist stuff...so I took a selfie outside @dfbstoryhouse.bsky.social and then went home. Job done!

A picture of me outside the David Fickling Books offices in Oxford. They have a nice sign, which I can't describe here because, well, I'm not very good with words. Today I went to the dentist. Not the dentist that shares a building with DFB though (and also has a plaque in this photo, that I didn't notice when taking it.)

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jun 2

I started writing this as a children's poem but couldn't get it to work. Now it's this. Funny how things work out. #WritingCommunity #PoetryCommunity #Poetry #Poem #Funny #WordOfTheWeek @thetoypress.bsky.social

i wanted to write a funny poem but nothing funny has happened today

birds plotting outside my window
i peel a banana
and find it not yet ripe enough to eat
nothing funny has happened today

the ticking of the clock just sounds sarcastic
my team win the football match
but squander most of a four goal lead
making the last twenty minutes
pathetically stressful
nothing funny has happened today

on a walk the dog suddenly takes a wee
up against somebody's bin
just as they exit their house
i try to type the word bin into my phone
it autocorrects to bum
and still
nothing funny has happened today

a single magpie
forces me to remember
i'm not superstitious
even this poem
is a struggle to get out
and clearly not as good
as ones
which i've written quicker
nothing funny has happened today

Ian Brownlie@ianbrownlie· Jun 1

There's a plethora of poems to explore on the new Historical Horrors ticket at the Poetry Express! Two by me, and loads more by some wonderful children's poets. scaryness.com/historical-h... #WritingForChildren #PoetryForKids #PoetryForChildren #PoetryCommunity #KidLit #KidLitUK