NO UNAUTHORISED VEHICLES
(poem for a sign on a gate)
So authorise my vehicle.
Then rubber-stamp my car.
I’m done with steering oh-so-near,
I long to motor far.
But every time I venture out,
I’m halted by a sign:
Keep Out. Be Gone. Just Go Away.
This Road is Mine, All Mine.
But sir, it’s you who’ve made this
the road where I must go,
by putting up your tempting sign –
the one that tells me, NO.
Snow Petrels
On skies and seas
veiled white with light,
snow petrels weave
and wheel in flight,
they glide and skim
from high to low,
a falling flock
of feathered snow.
In courtship chases
pair by pair
they braid their paths
of freezing air,
birds of Antarctic
paradise,
the cliffs, the sea,
the snow, the ice.
© Liz Brownlee 2012
(From Animal Magic, IRON Press)
FREE
This poem is free:
there is nothing to pay.
The downside is
it has nothing to say.
NPD’s theme this year is ‘Freedom’.
Free From…
Free from the darkness which held me tight
Free from the nappy I’d wear at night
Free from the hand which took me to walk
Free from the rule to work without talk
Free from the joys of sleeping till ten
Free from the need to come home again
Free from the days of not needing cash
Free from the impulse to hurry or dash
Free from the parents standing by me
Free from the future once easy to see
Free from the lightness I felt in my heart
Free from the summers which now barely start
Free from the feeling of being a boy
Free from the freedom I used to enjoy
Sue Hardy-Dawson is a poet and illustrator, her latest book, Where Zebras go, can be bought here.
One of my favourite animals!
Golden Time
I might do a painting, I might read a book,
I might write a poem, I might learn to cook.
I might do some tracing, I might act a play,
I might make a pot with some modelling clay.
I might build some Lego, I might sing a song.
I might do some sums, I might get them wrong.
I might get the guinea pig out of his cage,
I might get dressed up and dance on the stage.
I might make a spaceship and fly up to Mars,
I might switch the lights out and study the stars.
I might make a potion, I might cast a spell
I might make a prince from a frog in a well.
I might explore Africa, might cross the Pole,
might play for England, might score a goal.
I might fly a jet plane, might walk on the moon,
I can do what I want for a whole afternoon.
I might be a Viking, I might be from Rome.
I would rule the world but it’s time to go home.
Hanging round parks for a go on the swings
your palms smelling of metal off the roundabout
The iron grip of the slide as you launch yourself
It’s kids’ stuff but I still like it.
Dipping your fingers in sherbet and licking
Sticking your tongue into your ice cream
Strengthening your suck on a chocolate milk shake
It’s kids’ stuff but I still like it
Playing follow-my-leader when no one can see
Tidying your dollshouse and making them speak
Cuddling your teddy when you can’t get to sleep
It’s kids’ stuff but I still like it
Reading Narnia books and travelling with Hobbits
Watching E. Nesbit’s books on the box
Curling up in a chair with a book and some chocolate
It’s kids’ stuff but I still like it
Making shapes with your bread dough and watching it rise
Making gingerbread men with currants for eyes
Putting smarties on top of little iced cakes
It’s kids’ stuff but I still like it
Going to the pictures to watch Walt Disney
Getting sticky fingers from eating popcorn
Sucking an ice-lolly through the second half
It’s kids’ stuff but I still like it
People try and tell you ought to grow up
My kids don’t mind having a daft mum
I don’t see why I should stop having fun
It’s kids’ stuff but I still like it.
When the Bell Goes
When the bell goes
The long day’s ending
When the bell goes
Grab coats and bags
Thrilled and overjoyed
Making lots of noise
Running to the gates with all the other girls and boys
When the bell goes
We’re so excited
When the bell goes
At half-past three
Hurrying for home
Chatting on our phones
Stopping at the ice cream van to buy a strawberry cone
When the bell goes
We’re screaming, shouting
When the bell goes
We’re crazy, nuts
Dashing down the streets
Sucking sticky sweets
Practising our rapping to the rhythms and the beats
When the bell goes
The lesson’s finished
When the bell goes
We come alive
Jumping over walls
Breaking every rule
Doing lots of stuff we’re not allowed to do at school
I don’t care about anything
When I hear ring, ring, ring, ring
When the bell goes
When the bell goes
When the bell goes
© Neal Zetter,
The Art of Kite Flying
“It’s the string that makes it fly,” he said
As the kite tugged wildly at its thread.
“Without the string, it falls and dies –
Collapses from these bright blue skies,
Yet still it battles to break free
But it is just a kite, you see.”
And then he stopped and turned his head,
“So, what’s your string?” the old man said.
© John H Rice
John H Rice is a former primary school headteacher who writes educational materials for children – and poems!
A DIFFERENT HUNGER
Powerful cougar, mountain cat
Leaping, sprinting, jumping
Eats any animal it can catch
Loves hunting
Fragile cougar, Big Cat House
Caged from January to December
Eats for an audience at 3 o’clock
But remembers
Poetry Roundabout 