A mockery of crockery
“Hey diddle diddle,”
Said the cat to the fiddle,
“The dish ran away with the spoon.”
The fiddle said, “Yo!
“That spoon had to go,
And the dish wasn’t round like the moon.”
“Hey diddle diddle,”
Said the cat to the fiddle,
“What are we going to do?”
The fiddle said, “Man,
“Eat with your hand,
“That dish and spoon belonged in a zoo.”
Julie Cahill
The dish ran away with the spoon
since the cat couldn’t keep up a tune
the dog grabbed the fiddle
chewed it right through the middle
and the cow stayed up on the moon
SPOON LEAVES DISH
I liked him at the time –
thought he was quite dishy
when we ran away.
But no,
I couldn’t stay
with someone so wishy-
washy. His get-up-and-go
got up and went.
And so did I. Ran away again.
This time teamed up with
a right mug.
Too strait-laced for me.
I was bouncing off the walls.
Being a bit of a stirrer
I told him I’d fallen
for a cauldron –
dark, handsome, mysterious….
and I was off again.
But the truth was,
I needed a break.
I missed hanging out
with my friends
and headed
back to the drawer
for a group hug.
THE FARMYARD
The Farmer in the Dell
The farmer in the dell
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The farmer in the dell
The farmer births a child
The farmer births a child
Hi-ho, the derry-o…
The farmer births a child
The child gets a cat
The child gets a cat
Hi-ho the derry-o…
The child gets a cat
The farmer milks the goats
The farmer milks the goats
Hi-ho, the derry-o…
The farmer milks the goats
The child feeds the goats
The child feeds the goats
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The child feeds the goats
The cat drinks the milk
The cat drinks the milk
Hi-ho, the derry-o…
The cat drinks the milk
The farmer plants the seed
The farmer plants the seed
Hi-ho, the derry-o…
The farmer plants the seed
The child picks the peas
The child picks the peas
Hi-ho, the derry-o…
The child picks the peas
The farmer cooks the peas
The farmer cooks the peas
Hi-ho, the derry-o…
The farmer cooks the peas
The farmer and her child
The farmer and her child
Hi-ho the derry-oh
The farmer and her child
©Virginia Lowe
Farmyard frolics
The farm wakes up to the sound of chooks,
The pigs give the cows some dirty looks,
The grumpy goose nips a sleepy sheep,
The ducks duck into the pond so deep.
The rabbits dig in the vegie patch
While the dogs wake up and have a scratch.
The horse goes for a little canter
And birds enjoy their feathered banter.
The scarecrow yawns and gives us a grin —
Even he can’t sleep through all the din!
What a busy way to start each day,
When all my farm friends come out to play.
At John Jackson’s farmyard,
There was a meeting held,
And all the animals were there,
To vote, as compelled.
They were voting for a leader,
And amongst themselves would choose,
Each could address the meeting,
And from that they’d win or lose.
The cow was the first to stand,
And gave out a loud ‘moo’,
He told them he was big and strong,
And very responsible too.
The pig got up to ‘oink’ a word,
And said it wasn’t true,
He was just as strong as the cow,
And cleverer too.
The chickens, geese and ducks arose,
To give their point of view,
But ‘squawked’ and ‘quacked’ amongst themselves,
Offering nothing new.
The horses and donkey stood together,
‘Heehawed’ and ‘neighed’ in chorus,
But were so loud they couldn’t be heard,
They were just a little too boisterous.
The sheep stood up and followed the goat,
Who ‘bleated’ clear out loud,
But the sheep just ‘baaed’ and ‘baaed’ and ‘baaed’,
Which didn’t please the crowd.
The rabbit hopped up to the stand,
Followed by the Border Collie,
But decided better to hop down,
For to remain would be a folly.
The Border ‘barked’ he was the smartest,
He could round up sheep and cows,
Chickens, geese and ducks, and more,
Even boars and sows.
All the animals parted,
To consider and cast their vote,
The ballot was counted with the result,
The Border Collie beat the goat!
Australian Children’s Poetry 