Trick or treat!
Trick or treat!
Lots of ghouls along the street.
Some are vampires,
some are ghosts,
whatever monster scares the most!
They want lollies,
they’re really creepy,
until the little spooks get sleepy.
Then home to bed they disappear –
that’s Halloween until next year.
Graham Seal
The end of October.
Day 30 plus one.
Chock-full of mystery.
Sweet, scary fun.
Hair-raising dress-ups
for haunting the streets.
Pumpkins with candles
and tricks paired with treats.
Parties and games.
Time with family and friends.
What’s it about?
Well, that sort of depends.
For some,
it’s a time to remember the dead –
with love in our hearts,
not with sadness or dread.
For others,
a chance to scare darkness away.
A Spirits, Ghosts, Ghoulies – Shove Off!
type of day.
Way in the past,
it meant bonfires and feasts,
and wearing disguises
to fool wicked beasts.
Now that’s all changed.
It’s an eve of delight.
It brings us together.
One weird, wondrous night.
Image from Pexels by Matheus Bertelli
When we’re asked what jobs we want
my friends and I like thinking big,
by imagining a future
doing ALL the things we dig.
I might be a figure skater,
and invent the flying car,
start a business selling cupcakes,
then become a football star!
Tess could be a brilliant doctor
(maybe operate on brains),
play the keyboard in a band, and
spend the weekend flying planes!
Jingyi wants to dig for fossils,
run a kitten shelter too,
show his skills at table tennis
and then join a hip-hop crew!
A detective scuba diver,
or an astronaut who sings….
what do you think YOU’D be doing
if you could do all the things?
Image from Pexels by Collin Guernsey
I found my mother’s old recipe for yo-yo biscuits,
I made myself a batch! They were so delicious.
The biscuit: fragile, delicate, custard powder yellow with decorative fork prints,
The icing: buttery smooth and pale pink to match the rosewater essence.
One biscuit each afternoon, and tea poured onto a dash of milk in a fine china cup!
After a week, the yo-yo’s had disappeared – I mean to say, they were all eaten up!
They were exactly like what my Mum used to bake –
They were first rate! But, I’d made a mistake…
So, I made another batch – the same again,
And put them all into a biscuit tin,
And brought them to my dear old neighbour –
Stayed for a cuppa – bergamot flavour.
When I got home I added a note –
At the end of the recipe, here’s what I wrote:
‘Put in a tin, and then visit someone.’
Exactly like what my mum would have done.
Self-esteem is not just words,
it is the heart of you;
knowing that you’re special,
there’s nothing you can’t do.
It means you have a value,
A very unique worth;
There’s no one else quite like you,
Anywhere on earth.
You are a whole lot stronger
when you have self-esteem.
No challenge will be too big,
you’ll always dare to dream.
Self-esteem is yours to have,
forget what others say!
You have a priceless value
every single day.
Image from Pexels by RDNE Stock project
I just love being a girl
And wearing my skirt to watch it twirl.
Do you like my hair long or short?
I can run fast and I’m good at sport!
I love to hang out with my friends.
We chat and giggle until the day ends.
We talk about music, birthday parties and clothes,
Pets, our families and the latest TV shows.
When I grow up I want to be a race-car driver,
Or maybe a nurse or deep-sea diver.
Dad says I can be anything I like,
So maybe a singer – holding a mike!
I’m smart, kind and funny too,
And strong and brave with lots to do.
I can also be soft and gentle like a flower.
I just love being a girl and having Girl Power!
Image from Pexels by Johannes Plenio
Boots and bags and belts and braces;
slip-on shoes without any laces
hats with feather, coats with cuffs;
stripey socks and velvet gloves.
Shiny waistcoats, tall top hats;
onesies, boxers, baseball caps;
bracelets, bangles, silver pearls
scarves in patterns; scarves in swirls.
Woolly jackets, pants with spots;
petticoats and purple socks;
Skirts with zippers, skirts that flair;
Shirts with circles; shirts with squares.
Choose an outfit; match a hat.
Strike a pose! This or that?
Choose to be whatever you please
Magic, mayhem, make believe!
Image from Pexels by Ksenia Chernaya
Sitting here on the couch,
A dog on either side
I describe as heavenly,
I feel warm and loved inside,
They are such a pleasure,
And bring me so much joy,
But they can be so naughty,
And so many things destroy.
Yet, they are forgiven,
For the naughty things they do
Just like we were forgiven,
By parents who loved us too.
Image from Pexels by Yaroslav Shuraev
We can’t be happy all the time,
sometimes we’ll be sad.
People aren’t always nice,
sometimes they’ll be bad.
Every day won’t be great,
life doesn’t work that way.
So remember all the good times
and you’ll be okay.
Most of all, don’t forget,
one thing is always true:
No one else will ever be
quite the same as you!
Image from Pexels by Alexander Grey
Australian Children’s Poetry 