Author Archives: australianchildrenspoetry

Lily Lady Bird by Edwina Smith

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Lily’s in the garden,
Lily Lady Bird.
It must be true,
she’s much to do!
Flitting here and there,
up along a stem.
’Round around she goes,
resting now and then.

Roses give us joy,
Lily Lady Bird.
All beds were laid
in sun, not shade.
Colours warm and bright;
their scent fills the air.
Blooms bask in beauty
for everyone to share.

Lovely lemon trees,
Lily Lady Bird;
bear fruit to squeeze,
we cook to please:
luscious lemon pie.
Juice on chips and fish.
Pancakes piping hot
make a tasty dish!

Here’s our veggie patch,
Lily Lady Bird.
But do beware,
a spider’s there!
Leafy greens will be
ready soon to pick;
veggies rich in goodies
that stop us getting sick.

Hiding in the herbs,
Lily Lady Bird.
She loves them so
and did you know?
Planting dill and chives,
yields a special treat.
Flowers full of nectar,
give her food to eat!

Aphids draw the sap,
Lily Lady Bird.
It’s nothing new,
you’re hungry too!
She protects our plants
from tiny pesky pests.
Mealybugs and mites
are most unwelcome guests.

What a friend you are!
Lily Lady Bird.
No need for spray,
she’ll eat her prey.
Nature’s little gem
shining red with spots.
Keeping pests in check
in all our garden plots.

Lily Lady Bird by Edwina Smith

Image from Pixabay

Aqua Dynamics by Celia Berrell

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Dynamic birds in black and white
with flapping wings zoom by.
Darting, diving, chasing prey …
can penguins really fly?

Their thin small wings are more like fins.
Their bodies, large and plump
have webby toes and stubby legs.
Poor penguins barely jump!

Their sturdy bones can help them dive.
Their plumpness keeps them warm.
Eight hundred times as dense as air
the seas are where they roam.

Penguins can’t fly in the sky
but fly in oceans blue.
Darting, diving, chasing prey …
so, do the fish fly too?

Aqua Dynamics by Celia Berrell
First published in Science Rhymes in the Sea
Celebrating SEA WEEK!

Image from Pixabay

I won’t rubbish Australia! by James Aitchison

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Let’s pick up all the trash,

all the soft drink cans,

all the empty packets

left behind by lazy hands.

There’s garbage in the bush,

and rubbish by the road,

and on every beach

there’s more trash by the load.

What kind of careless people

leave all their mess behind?

I think I’d like to see them

well and truly fined!

I will do my part —

and with help from you —

we’ll make sure Australia

always looks brand-new.

Image from Pixabay

Clean Up Australia Day by Linda Davidson

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Put your old gloves on and grab a sun hat.
Let’s clean up Australia while having a chat.
I’ll bring us some bags. We can fill up the bin
with plastic
cigarette butts
that rusty brown tin!

Let’s all do our part to keep this place neat.
Take pride in our home and clean up our street.
We know this will help keep
our oceans blue too.
I’m doing my bit …
How about you?

Clean Up Australia Day by Linda Davidson

Photo by Linda Davidson

Here’s a timely article from Australian Geographic titled PLASTIC MEASURES

March Prompts

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Start March with a splash – for SEA WEEK!

Send your poetic inspirations to Linda Davidson:

ozchildrenspoetry@gmail.com

Date prompts include:

  • Clean up Australia Day (1st March)
  • World Poetry Day (21st March)
  • Sleep Awareness Month

Picture Prompt:

AQUARIUM by Kaushani Mufti

Millions of Mounds by James Aitchison

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You’ll see them in the savannah —
some are eight metres tall —
and when you’ve seen one mound,
you haven’t seen them all!

They’re built by tiny termites,
six millimetres long,
engineered with clever skill,
they’re absolutely strong.

With natural air-conditioning,
the heat just disappears; 
each multi-storey complex
can last one hundred years!

James Aitchison

Termite mounds in North Queensland’s savannah country. Photo by Ginette Pestana

Ocean to Umbrella by Linda Davidson

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Ninety-seven percent
Of our water lies in the ocean
And that’s where the water cycle
Begins its motion.

Warm water rises as a gas
In a process called evaporation.
Water from plants also ascends
This is known as transpiration.

The water vapour rises higher
Where the atmosphere is cool
And droplets join together
In a large, white, fluffy pool.

But really this is a cloud
Created by condensation.
When the cloud becomes full,
Grab your umbrella for precipitation!

The rain will fill the lakes, streams
And of course the ocean too.
Then the water cycle process
Can begin again as new.

Ocean to Umbrella by Linda Davidson

Image from Pixabay

IMAGINE THIS by Jeanette Swan

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If we could float in a paper boat, 

we’d rock and bob on the turquoise sea,

I would sing for you in Imaginese

so painted whales rise from the deep.

If we could float in a paper boat,

I’d call flotillas of butterflies

to flutter and bumble across the sky

past clouds where dreamy creatures fly.

Could you imagine this was true?

This is what I wish we’d do.

IMAGINE THIS by Jeanette Swan

Artwork: YOU ARE HERE by Hayley Gillespie

Where will we go today? by James Aitchison

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A soft misty sunrise,

adventure’s in the air,

let’s raise the sails and go

while the weather’s fair.

There’s so much to explore —

where will we go today?

For lunch let’s drop anchor

in a quiet bay.

And in the afternoon,

on the glassy tide,

we’ll try our hand at fishing,

as homeward bound we glide.

Where will we go today? by James Aitchison

Sunrise at Picton, South Island, New Zealand. Photo by Ginette Pestana

You Have Teeth by Marque Dobrow

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You have teeth inside your head,
To help you chew and
Swallow your food,
So as you won’t drop dead.
That is what I said.
Some people with teeth inside their head,
Can take them out at night
And put them in a glass beside the bed,
Before they catch some zeds.
What a wonderful privilege
To have teeth inside your head.
And if you can remember
To keep your gums from turning red,
Your teeth shall stand you in good stead.
Other beasts also have teeth inside their head.
Some from which I’ve fled.
Like the snake, several dogs and a horse named Fred.
I enjoy having teeth inside my head.
I aim to keep them there.
And if I do,
I will be well fed.
But if I don’t,
My fate I’ll no doubt dread.
For to a dentist I’ll be led.

You Have Teeth by Marque Dobrow

Image by Pixabay