Today’s the day, our carnival.
We’ll race across the pool.
The sun is beating down on us
but the water will be cool.
I’m in my brand new swimming shorts.
I’ve got my goggles ready.
Imagine gold upon my chest!
My nerves are holding steady.
I line up at the starting blocks
with Ali, Sam and Tim.
I’m ready for the siren’s sound,
if only I could swim!
A Long Way to the End of the Pool by Rachael Koch
Image by Pexels
Counting the syllables in each line of a poem is a great exercise for finding and feeling its rhythm and pattern. Remember, rhyming is only one of many ways that can make writing poetic.
This MID-MONTH PROMPT calls for a NONET on any topic of your choosing. This nine-line poem begins with 9 syllables in the first line, finishing with 1 on the last line … or it could be the other way round, starting with 1 syllable and ending with 9.
We’d love to receive your examples!
Not a sound, not a ripple,
as we whisper our way
between sandstone walls —
ten metres high, they say.
Then it gets narrow,
two metres in places,
and on the stone,
are they fossil traces?
It’s a tight squeeze,
you can touch the rock —
but make sure it’s not hiding
a freshwater croc!
Yabbies and turtles,
and a big goanna,
you’ll see them all
in the Gulf Savannah.
Gorgeous! by James Aitchison
Teacher’s note: The Cobbold Gorge was formed 10,000 years ago. Several springs feed into the gorge, keeping the water level constant.
Far North Queensland’s Cobbold Gorge. Photo by Ginette Pestana
Look at these creatures from deep in the sea
with tentacles, scales and slippery skin.
Are they staring at me?
Observing our species, our children are mesmerised
as they swim and glide through a salt-water tide.
Do they want to eat me?
They’ve put on a show, so they like what we do
creating this space of connection.
It looks like they love to be watched!
Aquarium Staring by Tamara Seselja
Inspired by March Picture Prompt
AQUARIUM by Kaushani Mufti
The wide sea swells with muscular power:
surges under thundering clouds.
Waves
in chaos
rush and tower,
careless of steepness,
smash
in whirls of foam,
slam
on slabs of rock.
Until
tiring,
sighing.
Rays of sunlight
slice a shredded grey sky,
sparkling silver sequins twinkle
on her scaly skin,
and the ocean lies still.
Vast and deep is the mighty sea that roars.
Yet, at curving edges, surfers ride waves,
landing softly on sandy shores.
Sleeping under an afternoon haze,
the sea stretches out between headlands:
a salty green ocean
beneath the sky’s hot breath.
A toddler with his mother is paddling in the shallows,
where little ripples run up the beach now the storms are gone.
The Sea by Jeanette Swan
Image from Pixabay
Cockatoos eat with their left leg,
their right hangs on to their perch.
They gobble and chew so neatly
without a sideways lurch.
You’ll see them up on the fence,
having a tasty lunch,
feeding themselves an apple,
never missing a single crunch.
Hungry cockatoos by James Aitchison
Hungry cockatoos. Photo by Philip Webster
Do children’s calls
and laughs get past
this giant plate
of strengthened glass?
Do fish hear words
or muffled hums
inside this
grand aquarium?
Aquarium Query by Celia Berrell
Inspired by March Picture Prompt
AQUARIUM by Kaushani Mufti
A girl may love her shoes
but her cat treasures them more
A special place in a cupboard
a spot that she adores
Ah, to rest in the leather
Ooh to breathe in the sweat
An afternoon spent with the shoes
is as good as a cat’s life gets
Rusty in the shoe cupboard by Jeanie Axton
Photo of Rusty provided by Jeanie Axton
Wild June day
whales put on
wide vista performance.
Travellers watch.
In close
mother with calf by her side
breaks the water.
A huge whale follows.
Way out to sea
another blows spume of water
rolls.
His fluke goes up
then a gigantic s p l a s h.
Head of the Bight by Meryl Brown Tobin
Image by Pixabay
I approach.
It waits then draws me in,
sparkling and splashing a wave or two my way.
I hesitate.
I dip a toe, gasp, then on I go.
Soothed, cooled, caressed
by a million watery minerals.
I stay.
Afloat and winking at the sun smiling on me.
What is below me? I don’t know.
I just want to enjoy this moment.
I don’t want to leave.
I’d like to take this home with me.
A plop.
A shadow of something disturbs my solitude.
It’s probably some fishy dude.
Then,
I’m being pushed back to shore
by bigger and bigger waves.
On salty sand,
the seawater dries
and I savour the droplets
dancing on my eyes.
Image by Pixabay
Australian Children’s Poetry 