Spring, Sprang, Sprung by Louise McCarthy

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Up sprang spring after winter,

Spring sprang up before the summer,

Dormant, sleeping dozing life,

Was sprung by spring when spring sprang up!

Image by Petra from Pixabay

It’s October and that means . . .

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World Teacher Day, World Mental Health Day, International Day of the Girl Child, Children’s Week, United Nations Day and of course Halloween!

So many wonderful things happening this month. Which one will you be celebrating? Or will you celebrate them all?

Please send your poems to ozchildrenspoetry@gmail.com

Apostrophe! by Monty Edwards

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When I am writing poetry
I often use an apostrophe,
Since it can help the rhythm flow
And make words fit where they need to go,
For sometimes lines will have a lump
That readers hit like a nasty bump!
Apostrophes smooth these away,
Which leaves me pleased, I have to say.

If you’re one who’s been confused
By how apostrophes are used,
I’d like to share some simple facts
So you can use them and relax.
Two words need to squeeze to one?
An apostrophe can get it done.
You don’t believe that’s really true?
That previous line shows two to you.

Another use we ought to cover
Is rather tricky you’ll discover.
If you do not, then you don’t,
But if you will not, then you won’t!
Now let’s leave the squeeze behind
For apostrophes of a different kind,
Which often come with letter s,
But does it matter? Answer: “Yes!”

Take this boy’s team as an example:
Just one boy there in that small sample,
But to show there’s two or more
Writing boys’ team, makes us sure.
So a girls’ school means girls only
And a boy there – rather lonely!
If that school became co-ed,
Boys there could relax instead.

Many words that end with s
Don’t need apostrophes, let me stress.
But with those explained above
In my view there’s lots to love!

Abracadabra by Jenny Erlanger

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The tadpole’s now a frog – how strange!
and where’s that duckling gone?
It’s undergone some mystic change
and turned into a swan!
The caterpillar’s been reshaped,
been made a butterfly.
Once, just a bug, it’s now escaped
to navigate the sky.
Spectacular and free to see
in grasslands, trees and ponds
these wondrous acts of wizardry
require no magic wands.

Photo by Pixabay

My Special Spring by James Aitchison

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See the flowers

all pop out.

See the leaves

grow all about.

So much colour

all around,

like a paintbox

upside down.

Me and My Recorder (A Story) by Marcus Ten Low

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I picked-up my recorder
and started blowing loudly,

a tootle-oo and tootle-ay
while Dad was snoring proudly;

I leant over his breathing chest
to listen to his heart,

then went outside playing my tune
as stars lit-up the chart;

I stood on tiptoe, eating grapes
on this side of the neighbor’s fence;

and played my pipes, until their dog
emerged in their defence;

but as I stood under the stars
and played my pretty song,

the dog stuck-out his wet old tongue,
and then began to croon along—

and all the cats hidden among
the roses then pricked their sharp ears,

until I’d played my last this night—
the cats and dogs (with no more fears)

slept soundly then, but woe, alas,
my Dad came-out to yell and scream

at me for waking him, and he awoke
the cats and dogs, and then
I woke-up from my dream…

Photo from Pexels by Alexas Fotos

Squally Spring by Pauline Cleary

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It’s quite a blustery Spring this year.
It’s quite a squally Spring.
The wind is whistling at my door.
That wind can surely sing.
It’s really good for flying kites
and getting washing dry.
It blows away the cobwebs,
tosses clouds across the sky.
But I wouldn’t mind if it settles soon,
if the trees don’t shake and bend.
A little peace would be just fine.
I wish that wind would end.

Photo from Pexels by Bogdan Krupin

Springtime Is Here by Linda Davidson

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Springtime is here and winter is gone.
Now is the time for calves to be born.

Springtime is here, with new life bursting through.
There’s new leaves on trees and baby birds in nests too.

Springtime is here so wake up possum.
The sun now shines brighter and the wattle will blossom.

Springtime is here because it’s now September.
Let’s have Springtime fun until the end of November!

Photo from Pexels by Harriet B

Delia’s Hairpiece? by James Aitchison

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Delia’s hairpiece?

Oh no, I tell a lie —

it isn’t Delia’s wig,

it’s a butterfly.

Delias harpalyce,

that’s its proper name.

(Harpalyce rhymes with Alice,

so say it once again.)

Their wings look like they’re painted,

and with black they’re lined,

but my complaint is,

they’re very hard to find!

Photo by James Aitchison

Teacher’s note: This butterfly was photographed by Philip Webster in his garden at Wattle Glen. The wingspan of Delias harpalyce reaches about 60–70 millimetres. The upper surfaces of the forewings and hindwings are a whitish with black margins and a row of small whitish spots on the apex of the forewings. In the females the black outer edges of the wings are wider than in males. The undersides of the wings are chequered whitish and black, with a yellow band on the apex of the forewings and a red band on the middle of the hindwings. They are found only in Australia’s eucalyptus forests.

Blueberries by Marcus Ten Low

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I love to fist them by the fistful
Right into my mouth,

I eat ’em walking to and fro,
And east and north and south;

When one of them might roll away,
I grab at it, and bite it down,

At least for now, these berries be
The cheapest things in town.

These little eyeballs, blue blue blue,
The sweetest flavors, chomp and chew,

I ought to wash them under tap,
And eat and take a little nap,

And dream of where they’re grown…

Photo from Pexels by Markus Spiske