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Chrissie Gittins
Chrissie Gittins is an award-winning poetry writer for children and adults, and also writes short stories and plays. Her poems have been widely anthologised and animated for Poetry Pie and CBeebies on TV. She has been visiting schools as a poet for over 20 years, is an experienced teacher and has read at festivals all over Great Britain. Chrissie has written 5 children’s poetry collections. Now You See Me, Now You…, illustrated by Gunnlavg Moen, and I Don’t Want an Avocado, illustrated by Kev Adamson, were shortlisted for the CLPE Poetry Award. Her latest book is Adder, Bluebell, Lobster, illustrated by Paul Bommer. Her website is here.
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Here is one of Chrissie’s poems:
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The Powder Monkey
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This is the moment I dread,
my eyes sting with smoke,
my ears sing with cannon fire.
I see the terror rise inside me,
coil a rope in my belly to keep it down.
I chant inside my head to freeze my nerve.
Main mast, mizzen mast, foremast,
belfry, capstan, waist.
We must keep the fire coming.
If I dodge the sparks
my cartridge will be safe,
if I learn my lessons
I can be a seaman,
if I close my eyes to eat my biscuit
I will not see the weevils.
Main mast, mizzen mast, foremast,
shot lockers, bowsprit, gripe.
Don’t stop to put out that fire,
run to the hold,
we must fire at them
or they will fire at us.
Main mast, mizzen mast, foremast,
belfry, capstan, waist.
My mother never knew me,
but she would want to know this –
I can keep a cannon going,
I do not need her kiss.
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Before 1794 children aged 6 upward went to sea. After 1794 the minimum age was 13.
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© Chrissie Gittins (This poem won a Belmont Poetry Prize)
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