The Goldfish
Listen to Ian ...
Have you ever told someone a story
that you wrongly thought happened to you?
I'll give you my favourite example:
my goldfish that was flushed down the loo.
I reminded my sister about it,
telling her how my young heart had been torn.
She said, “I think you’ll find that was my goldfish,
and you hadn’t even been born!”
that you wrongly thought happened to you?
I'll give you my favourite example:
my goldfish that was flushed down the loo.
I reminded my sister about it,
telling her how my young heart had been torn.
She said, “I think you’ll find that was my goldfish,
and you hadn’t even been born!”
This poem is copyright (©) Ian Brownlie 2026
About the Writer
Ian Brownlie
Ian lives with his family in Marlow, Bucks (UK). He has poems and stories for children in The Dirigible Balloon, Tyger Tyger, Little Thoughts, The School Magazine, Nimblewitlit and The Toy. He has been longlisted for the Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition and Searchlight's Best Novel Opening award. Ian's writing for adults has appeared in SHINE Quarterly, Rough Diamond, Underbelly, Cosmic Daffodil, streetcake and Viridine Lit. BlueSky: @ianbrownlie.bsky.social Instagram: @ibrownlie
