There is an extra day this year, this week, to enjoy poetry – so thank you to all the poets who have sent marvellous leap year poems! Happy Leap Year!
The first one is by the really ridiculously talented rhymer, Colin West, who also supplied the wonderful illustration at the top, and the one for his wonderful poem – thank you, Colin!
February the 29th
An extra day to make up rhymes
We have, this very month!
(I’ve tried to do so, many times,
But haven’t managed oneth.)
© Colin West
This one is by Jacqueline Shirtleff – thank you Jacqueline, and for suggesting this!
Leap Year
One extra day watching TV!
One extra day on my bike!
One extra day at my Grandpa’s
doing whatever I like!
One extra day on my iPad!
One extra day just to play!
One extra day in my PJs!
What?
One extra school day? No way!
© Jacqueline Shirtleff
And here is one from Sarah Ziman, thank you, Sarah rhymin' Ziman!
Jump to it!
(This poem works once every 1,461 days)
Jump and prance!
Dance and sing!
Hop and caper!
Spring for spring!
Frolic and bound!
Vault and cheer!
It’s 29th February –
This leap year!
© Sarah Ziman
Here's another leap from John H Rice!
February
Poor little February
Has just 28 days
But once every four years
He’s given a raise.
© John H. Rice
Here's one from me!
Fred Leapyear
Of all the dates in his lifetime
Fred loves Feb, the 29th
which is his birthday each fourth year
it means he’s younger than his peers
who in their 80s aches a-plenty
envy his more sprightly twenty!
© Liz Brownlee
And here's a fairy good poem from Mark Bird!
The Leap Year Fairy
Wake up, Wake up! Get out of bed
Shake those dreams up in your head
The Leap Year Fairy’s out to play
With a billion days to give away
So grab yours quick before it fades
Unwrap your gift of stars and sun
of rivers, breeze and oxygen
of seas and trees, of fun and friends
of wishes, giggles, secret dens
of new beginnings and new ends
Your present’s in the songs of birds
in brand-new thoughts and brand-new words
Enjoy it! Live it! Share it! Be!
One extra day to hear and see
It’s yours all yours and yours for free
So make it count and make it ring
Be all you want, be Queens, be Kings
But spend it wisely, give it song
For gifts of days do not last long
One second here, the next it’s gone
The Leap Year Fairy’s out to play
A billion days to give away
© Mark Bird
And thank you to Rob Walton for this one, it's bound to be good!
A Leapy One!
There have always been 28 children in our class.
In Reception there were 28 children.
In Year 1 there were 28 children.
In Year 2 there were 28 children.
But this year
because it’s a leap year
there will be 29 in our class
for one day only.
Our teacher asks what sort of classmate
we would like for this one day only.
We all shout A kind one! A nice one! A funny one!
One who helps us with our homework!
One who lets us copy the answers in spelling tests!
One who invites us for tea and gives us five fish fingers!
What we get is a rabbit.
I don’t remember anyone shouting A leapy one!
She’s lovely, but you don’t want to get behind her at the salad bar.
© Rob Walton
Here's one ALL THE WAY from Australia! Thank you Jackie!
Look Before You Leap
I’ve never been tempted to leap without looking
I’ve always been careful, especially when cooking
I just can’t abhor when I make a mistake
Like forgetting the sugar when baking a cake
Or forgetting a birthday, though in my defence
Yours doesn’t really make very much sense
February one year, March the next?
Make up your mind, I’m feeling perplexed
But I’ll have some faith and dig down deep
This year, I guess, I’ll take that that leap
© Jackie Hosking
And here's another by me.
Leap Year
It’s leap year! Make this year
no war, bombs or fear year
let’s make it a kind year
the kind to find peace year
make this year a grand year
a taking a stand year
an all ill is banned year
save all in each land year
it’s leap year, this leap year
make this a unique year
a stand up and speak year
a change the world leap year!
© Liz Brownlee
Poetry Roundabout 