It's the kind of historic day in Coventry that needs a poem, so I wrote this... #PUSB
ALT Play UP Sky Blues
9099 days
since our last Premier league match
25 long years
in lower league wilderness
quarter of a century
then you leave it till
six minutes to go
before snatching the one goal
that will give you the one point
we needed
to guarantee promotion.
The Sky Blue Spirit
challenged, but not dimmed
through those long 9099 days,
those long 25 years.
It came down to this one header
to get the one goal
to draw 1-1
to get the one point.
The final whistle
confirming the draw
leads to complete uproar,
screams of delight at the score,
hands punching the air
as fans leap for joy
and Coventry celebrates as one.
Play up Sky Blues
Go up Sky Blues
WE’RE BACK!
Alison Manning 17/4/26
I’m proud to announce the contributors to the inaugural edition of Poet In Verse Journal.
Thank you to all the poets involved in bringing this first issue to life.
Contributor list below 🧵and at poetinverse.com/journal/cont…#PoetryCommunity#WritingCommunity
I'm delighted my World Book Day poem I wrote yesterday has been published on the great children's poetry resource The Dirigible Balloon today. That's a quick turnaround- less than 24 hours from writing to publication!
dirigibleballoon.org/poem/Wo…
Thanks @JonathanHumble@TheDirigible
ALT Waddling through Snow
The snow
which, freshly falling on the way there,
had turned me into a snowman
has turned more slippery on the way home.
Seemingly a slight rise in temperature
has turned it slushy underfoot
so each step risks a slide.
The snow had stopped whilst I was out
but now falls afresh in lighter flakes
floating through the sky
illuminated against the streetlight
in a beautiful snowflake dance,
worthy of the nutcracker.
I turn back my focus to my feet
and think of the advice I was given:
to stay safe I need
to waddle like a penguin,
and I realise I don’t actually know what this involves.
Do I flap my arms like flippers to keep my balance?
Or think longingly of fish?
(But embodying a wish to sample sushi
goes against my vegetarianism).
Do I need to look like a penguin?
My dress is black with white spots- does that count?
I think it must be more about the way I walk.
For the full poem see my facebook page Alison Manning Writer as it doesn't fit here!
2026 is the UK Year of Reading.
The Dirigible Balloon is a place where there are over 2000 free poems for children written by over 500 excellent poets worldwide.
Tell a friend. Ask them to spread the news.
We're here >>> dirigibleballoon.org
Come and look.
#PoetryForChildren
Delighted to have another poem soaring up on the latest flight of #TheDirigible Balloon - a great poetry resource for children. Thanks @JonathanHumble I wrote this when my back was playing up and I was struggling to move from the settee! dirigibleballoon.org/poem/Th…#poetry
Looking for a Christmas present for a 7-13 year old?
Please consider buying them my book! It's a fun adventure story set in Wales that has been compared to Enid Byton.
I'd be very grateful.
#book#Christmas#GetReadingamazon.co.uk/World-Without-E…
I wrote this poem earlier this year in response to a prompt thinking about what household appliances might dream about. It feels like the right time of year to share it now! #poetry#poet#poetrycommunity#Autumn
ALT Image of a cooker from which comes a thought bubble containing the following poem by Alison Manning: "A Cooker's Dream
I dream of an endless summer
Bathed in warmth
Heat is my happy place.
I long to luxuriate
And lounge in high temperatures
To bake and roast
And stew and toast
To favour my fervour for fever,
To indulge in my inclination for incalescence,
In no small degree.
My wish to prolong the season
And raise my range
Is so strong
This is the reason
I block my clock
Making it impossible to change
So it can be British summertime
Eternally!"
I have a poetry film in this:
LIVING WITH BUILDINGS IX
-showing poetry films, documentaries and experimental shorts exploring the history (and future) of cities and urban spaces.7.30pm 17 SEPT 2025 – PVC – Coventry
@Dis_Appear_Here#livingwithbuildings#disappearhere#poetryfilm
ALT Logo of Living with Buildings. Black writing on white background
Poems uploaded to the Dirigible Balloon for our autumn flight #ImagineTheFuture supporting creativity in schools celebrating next year's 75th anniversary of the Festival of Britain.
Find them here >>> dirigibleballoon.org
Hope you like the poems.
JH x 😊
#PoetryForChildren