is written
on the calendar.
but then I walk
past my daughter’s
old school,
knees clicking.
poking its head
out of the soil
is a paper daisy, saying,
spring,
spring has sprung.
Photo from Pexels by Stuart Robinson
Foraging through undergrowth,
the Superb Fairy Wren
jauntily hops and bounces
velvety blue plumage; black-masked;
yellow petals collected
for its grey-brown mate.
Daintily, it dances
from earth to bough to leaf;
the garden its stage.
Flash of blue; flicker of brown;
bringer of joy
straight to the heart.
Photo from Pexels by Walter Coppola
Is saving our Earth a great idea?
Then we must make stop those blinded with greed,
using fossil fuels till they disappear.
Is saving our Earth a great idea?
Good ecologists, our future should steer––
we need a world with clean air, water, feed.
Is saving our Earth a great idea?
Then we must make stop those blinded with greed.
Photo from Pexels by Anna Shvets
(In honour of National Bathtub Day October 7th)
Let’s have a scrub
in the tub
On National Bathtub Day
Let’s get all wet
up to the neck
On National Bathtub Day
Let’s bring out the bubbles
now there’s trouble
On National Bathtub Day
Let’s use the soap
on a rope
On National Bathtub Day
Let’s wash the puppy
whose looking scruffy
On National Bathtub Day
Let’s clean up well
leave a pleasant smell
On National Bathtub Day
Its rather obscure
And a little peculiar
This National Bathtub Day.
Photo from Pexels by nishizuka
(In Honour of National Bathtub Day October 7th)
In days of old,
out in the cold,
this is where you’d wash.
Rub-a-dub-dub,
in a public tub,
oh my golly gosh!
Hop right in,
up to your chin,
give your skin a sheen.
And let’s all hope
there’s enough soap
so everyone is clean.
Think of the queue
following you,
eager to get in too.
So don’t delay —
scrub right away —
I’m the one after you!
Street bath, Europe. Photo by Ginette Pestana
Way up in the mountains
Bamboo forests grow
Swaying to the seasons
Of rain, mist and snow
Only found in China
Elusive and so rare
Fur of black and white
Coats the Panda Bear
Majestic yet reclusive
He minds his own affairs
Pandas do not hibernate
Unlike other bears
Blending into shadow
He cannot be seen
Marking trees with scent
Tell others where he’s been
Large head and jaws to match
Makes easy work to chew
Food of the forest
His diet is bamboo
A type of little thumb
Coming from the wrist
Holds down tasty shoots
Which he can’t resist
With pupils of a cat
He sees well by night
Black fur ‘round each eye
Shades from bright daylight
Strong legs made for weight
Keen ears and sense of smell
Nature’s gifts such as these
Have served him very well
Sadly it came to pass
They became too rare
Action must be taken
To save the Panda Bear
The task awaits but where to start?
Many never knew
Much at all about this bear
Except they eat bamboo!
China’s first to take the lead
And saw what must be done
Now ‘Endangered’, chances slim
The challenge must be won
Other nations joined the quest
Sharing knowledge gained
No effort would be spared
Since very few remained
How to save these precious bears
And care for tiny cubs?
Many zoos around the world
Are conservation hubs
Bamboo forests were restored
Progress showed its face
Numbers slowly rising up
But Pandas set the pace!
Our world adores the Panda
A symbol of good will
Their future now assured
By hard work and skill
They fill each heart with pride
And joy beyond measure
May Pandas always be
China’s national treasure.
Photo from Pexels by Snow Chang
I found gold,
at the end of the day.
I found gold,
more than I could say.
I found gold,
how I wished it would stay.
I found gold,
but it slipped away.
Sunset in the Gulf Country, North Queensland. Photo by Ginette Pestana
A Sawfish has a flattened jaw
which points its mouth towards the floor.
That saw-like snout we can’t ignore –
but what’s that awesome saw-snout for?
A Sawfish wouldn’t roar or snore,
but could it use that saw to gore
or dig and poke prey near the floor,
could that be what that saw-snout’s for?
A Sawfish snout has scores and scores
of electronic sensing pores
detecting fish-food no-one saw
when water’s muddied more and more.
So now we know that saw’s contour
is something Sawfish will adore.
It helps them catch small fish galore.
And that’s what Sawfish snouts are for.
Photo from Pexels by Shuxuan Cao
October 4th is Sawfish Day. Sawfish numbers are sadly declining. Nowadays, sawfish are only reliably found near Florida USA and around northern Australia. Sawfish, like their shark relatives have a skeleton made of cartilage rather than bone. Question: how can you tell the difference between a sawfish and a sawshark? Answer: by looking at its gills. Sawfish gills are underneath their body, next to its mouth, while a sawshark’s gills are found on the side of its head.
Way up North
Where forest gums grow
Lidia waits and thinks
Grasping a branch
Seen only by chance
Perhaps if she blinks
Amongst the trees
Is where she lives
For most of the day and night
She comes down to feed
Or when there’s a need
And basks in morning light
She hunts on the ground
Where insects are found
Watching from way up a tree
A beetle crawls by
Which catches her eye
It scuttles along to flee
Lidia scamps down
To snatch some lunch
A meal well in view
But wouldn’t you know
She encounters a foe
To pass or pursue
No time to hide
She opens up wide
And spits a nasty hiss
Standing her ground
With a frightful sound
Such courage as this!
Locked in a stare
Neither could bare
To scrap or to slip
Lidia knows what to do
There’s plan number two
Her tail is nature’s whip!
But that’s not enough
She’ll need more bluff
To make herself look bigger
Knowing the drill
She fluffs up her frill
A very timely trigger
A second to spare
Neither will dare
To lunge or to bite
Lidia’s made to deceive
Then take her leave
Departing in full flight
A fiery display
She then runs away
With a rapid retreat
Look at her go!
Outpacing her foe
Sprinting on two feet
She runs up a tree
All safe and sound
But didn’t catch her dinner
With tricks up her sleeve
So hard to believe
Lidia’s come through a winner
Blending right in
Against the bark
She can wait and see
Watching the ground
Where insects are found
The place for her to be
High on a branch
She hopes for a chance
To catch a meal today
Below there’s a rustle
She’s ready to tussle
Luck has come her way
Down she flies in pursuit
Lidia now gives chase
But she’s far too swift and strong
So easily wins the race
A centipede! What a feed!
It’s really been her day
Up the tree to wait and see
And that’s where she’ll stay
Photo from Pexels by Detlef Bukowski
Stop the train,
I want to get off —
that bridge looks a disaster!
It happened when
they had a flood
and the river ran much faster.
It twisted the rails,
it bent the bridge —
any train would roll and sway.
So until it’s fixed,
until it’s safe,
no more trains will pass this way!
Rail bridge at Einasleigh, Gulf Country, North Queensland. Photo by Ginette Pestana
Australian Children’s Poetry 