Let's make this birthday one to remember.

85 years old (Born on July 27, 1939)

Happy Birthday, Michael Longley! May your celebrations be warmer than "Gorse Fires," grander than the view in "An Exploded View," and far more comfortable than being the "Man Lying on a Wall!" You've delighted us through years with poetry that dances effortlessly between Northern Ireland's beautiful coastal winds, Japanese weather forecasts, and everything profoundly human.

Your words have brought home prestigious honors like the Hawthornden Prize and T.S. Eliot Prize—proof you're not just timeless but pretty fantastic. Here's hoping today's festivities include all your favorite things: literary laughs, well-measured rhymes (or none at all!), good memories—and comfortable walls to lie upon!