Kristin Martin writes poetry for children and adults. She lives in South Australia in a house sort-of-near the sea with her husband, two sons, three turtles, four goldfish, five spiny leaf insects and a canary called Stephen Fly. As well as being a poet, she is a story writer, a teacher, a gardener, a cook and a mum.
You can read lots of Kristin’s poems on her website, Funny Poems for Kids which you can reach by clicking this link: http://kristinmartin.net
Some of her poems are in Tadpoles in the Torrens, Poems for young readers, (Wakefield Press in 2013), and also in Tadpoles in the Torrens: Teacher’s Edition (Wakefield Press in 2016).
Kristin’s poems and stories have also been published in Touchdown, Count Down, Orbit and Blast Off (The School Magazine). You may have seen these magazines in your school library. She has also had a story published in the UK magazine, Aquila.
Her poetry book for adults, Paint the Sky, was published by Ginninderra Press in 2016.
These are some of the poems you will find on her website:
A Night of Frogs
A frog lives in our garden
in a pond beneath the tree.
I hear it croak at bedtime
as it says ‘goodnight’ to me.
A frog lives by our back door
on a post below the light.
I sneak outside to say ‘hello’
because it’s only there at night.
A frog lives in our laundry
in the corner of the wall.
I check when I come back inside
to make sure it didn’t fall.
A frog lives in our kitchen
in the space behind the sink.
It freezes in the torchlight
when I get myself a drink.
A frog lives in our bathroom
and I don’t know what to do
because it isn’t where it should be.
Yuk! It’s swimming in the loo!
My mum comes in the bathroom,
plants a kiss upon my head.
‘The frogs are fine just where they are
but you should be in bed!’
My Greens
There’s a broccoli in my wardrobe
and a cucumber by my bed.
Something green was on my pillow
but now it’s green goo on my head.
There are lettuce leaves by my mirror,
some snow peas in my drawer,
and I think I saw a brussel sprout
lurking behind my door.
I don’t know what they’re up to
or what any of this means,
but if I want my bedroom to myself
I’d better eat my greens!
Dogs
Some dogs are scary.
You have to be wary.
Some dogs are fat.
They could squash you flat.
Some dogs are tiny
and yappy and whiny.
Some dogs are old
and can’t do what they’re told.
Some dogs are jumpy.
They make me feel grumpy.
Some dogs are fast.
I just watch them run past.
Some dogs are busy
and rush round till they’re dizzy.
But my dog is great.
She’s my very best mate.
