Let's make this birthday one to remember.

80 years old (Born on December 03, 1944)

Happy Birthday, Craig! May your celebrations be as delightfully surreal and refreshingly alien as a Martian postcard home. Your poetry has always reminded us that everyday life is wonderfully strange—who else could make umbrellas seem extraterrestrial or telephones appear otherworldly?

From "Clay: Whereabouts Unknown" to the cinematic brilliance of "History: The Home Movie," you've consistently shown us how beautifully peculiar our world can look through fresh eyes. Here's hoping this year brings you even more poetic discoveries—and perhaps another literary invasion from Mars.

Cheers to you, Craig Raine—the poet who taught Earthlings just how extraordinary ordinary things truly are!