Yes, it’s that time of the calendar when all we scribblers unable to draw even a stick-man are made to feel unworthy in the face of the wrist-flicking pencil-jockeys. But at least I can console myself in jotting down some words to accompany their sketches.

And for the first time, I have managed to write something for every day of the month. But this does mean that me usual Halloween-themed poems will have to share the days at the end of the month, giving you all double bubble.

And as with previous years, I’ll use it as an opportunity to display some artwork I’ve found that I enjoy, even though it sometimes has a rather tangental relationship with the poem beneath it.

Alas, yes.  So here are this year’s entries.  I’ll be honest, a few of these are a bit shoe-horny, where I had more than one idea for a word, so one of my verses would have to find a new home…

Remember as ever, these are just meant to be an idle doodle, not Pulitzer-bait.  They’re also trying to be fun, so let’s keep it light.  Also returning from previous years are the the random artworks that barely relate but are a good showcase for some interesting finds.

Whitsun Bank Holiday already ? That can only mean one thing – this website has passed another year of existence !

Now, I do have an extra-special poem coming tomorrow which I’ve been saving up. And by ‘extra-special’, I of course mean ‘it’s a bit longer, innit’. But before that, I want to share with you the wonders of AI in all their limited glory.

I recently discovered the Suno.com – where they make music out of users’ lyrics and prompts (the former mostly sung, though some lines are ignored and some are randomly repeated, while the latter are almost all ignored, though sometimes ignored in very interesting ways). The results are then spat out as full-formed songs which have only one foot in uncanny valley, and the other on the not-bad-actually foothills.

So, here are a few of mine. As a tone-mute poet who has often thought of their children as songs without music, this has been a fascinating experience, and not without a few hits to show for it. Note that the maximum length is two minutes, though more credits can be used to extend it. You’ll find a mixture here of songs that cut-off abruptly and ones where I’ve splurged on an encore. Also note that having my words sung back to me revealed a few lurking typos which have now been immortalised in melody. Other mis-pronouncements are entirely the algorithm’s fault…

So, here we are once more, in the season of mist and mellow fruitfulness. But for poems to bear fruit, they must successfully avoid Mr Block…

And so I once again misappropriate the trusty-old list of thought-prompters provided by the good folks at Inktober to shake-out a few short pieces from the noggin over the coming couple of weeks. The important thing to remember is to not take these too seriously.

The illustrations, incidentally, are quite unconnected to the poems and are simply some works of art I’ve found online that I want to share with you:

Finally, allow me to introduce the strangely Irish-looking Edgar, as voiced by my decidedly London-born friend John Dobson.

Finally, we have an avatar with a real human voice, provided by my good friend Jo Matthews. Thanks Jo !

Young and Byronic, Hereward is the moodiest virtual poet since Speak & Spell

Green-eyed and red-haired, and worth every byte, here’s Ebba !

Introducing my latest almost-convincing avatar, Athelstan !

Introducing cyber-poet Winifrid, here to read two of my verses –