Hoo hoo hoo, and he haw hay
laughed the Kooka on his way.
After him the Magpies chased
winging past in reckless haste.
What was it that the Kooka heard
to cause the Magpies get so stirred?
An ornithologist rushed to meet
a Magpie walking on two sore feet.
‘I’m scared to fly,’ the Magpie wailed.
‘They laughed at me because I failed.’
He then limped on, a bird unique,
an unhappy agoraphobic freak.
We Are The Champions by Dannielle Viera
Leave a commentSome called us lost from Earth’s great zoo
Extinct beyond a doubt
But we are here to claim our prize
As champs of hiding out
Men sought us over Lord Howe Isle
(And brought their rats as well)
So we jumped ship and hid upon
A stack that spikes the swell
Beneath a tea-tree clinging to
The stark Balls Pyramid
We waited to be found by folks
Before we flipped our lid
It took some eighty years before
Two scientists arrived
But even then they couldn’t see
Our black butts had survived
That night we nosed out from our nook
To let them know we’d won
The longest game of hide-and-seek
Insects had ever run
And now we’d like our trophy, please
We phasmids are for real
If you do not acknowledge us
We’ll give you stick – so deal!
I Didn’t Mean To by Margaret Pearce
Leave a commentI didn’t mean to
pretend to be dead
while staying in bed.
I didn’t mean to
very loudly shout
“I’m not coming out!”
I didn’t mean to
leave my room in mess
causing you distress.
I didn’t mean to
try your new boots.
That style really suits.
I didn’t mean to
to create a scene
’cause you acted mean.
I didn’t mean to
refuse my breakfast.
I ate it at last.
I didn’t mean to
run away from you.
Was it a bad view?
I didn’t mean to
be a dreadful pest
but the perfect guest.
I didn’t mean to
always wag school.
Was it so uncool?
I didn’t mean to
play up like a fool
while attending school.
I didn’t mean to
stand under the wheel
my foot might never heal.
I didn’t mean to
buy so many sweets
for my birthday treats.
I didn’t mean to
be obsessed with screen.
I’m so computer keen.
I didn’t mean to
be a cheeky lad.
Always very bad.
I now intend to
be so very good
like you say I should.
A Sensible Hat by Jeanie Axton
Leave a commentA sensible hat is sensible
if worn in a sensible way
by a sensible type of person
at a sensible time of day.
A sensible hat can be silly
ugly, tattered or old
a sensible type of hat
is just that, sensible “so I’m told!”
Unpacking The Webb Telescope by Celia Berrell
Leave a commentFirst, un-pleat some solar cells
and wag that space antenna tail
to give our telescope some power
for data-sending mail.
Open sides, like two long arms,
then stretch-out layers of silver veils
to make a heat-shield from the Sun.
Too hot, our Webb could fail.
Next, erect the smaller mirror
then a radiator,
before reflective parts hinge wide.
That giant mirror’s locked, both sides,
to make a golden-petal flower
with infra-red its viewing power,
to be an ancient star-locator.
Deepest history translator!
Inspired by animation of deployment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzGLKQ7_KZQ
Goose On The Loose by James Aitchison
Leave a commentHey, hey, the goose got away,
down the street
on its two webbed feet!
“Honk, honk! Out of my way
I want to do my shopping today!”
(Teacher’s note: Apart from flock, what other collective nouns apply to geese? It all depends where they are. Geese on the ground are a gaggle, or if they are flying, a skein, a trip or a team. If flying in formation, they’re a wedge. Geese flying close together are a plump. Some other choices: a chevron, a nide, a lag, a sord, and the poet’s favourite, a christmas of geese!)
Mortimer Frog by James Aitchison
Leave a commentMortimer Frog lived down by the creek,
Down by the creek he lived.
And he croaked by the creek,
Croak, croak, croak,
Down by the creek he croaked.
A Very Funny Animal by Norah Colvin
Leave a commentIt isn’t quite a beaver, though it has a beaver’s tail,
A freshwater-living mammal, much smaller than a whale.
It’s something like an otter with body dressed in fur.
Its bill and feet are duck-like but it has a poisonous spur.
It burrows into riverbanks to lay its eggs therein.
It swims around in waters while having not one fin.
If you come across it, I urge you not to scream.
It wouldn’t ever harm you. It’s just a monotreme.
Its name can be quite tricky, but you’ll learn it without fuss.
So try:
Or –
Or – nith – or
Ornithorhynchus,
You might call it the platypus.
The Pillow That Couldn’t Sleep by James Aitchison
Leave a commentThere once was a pillow
that couldn’t sleep,
not even when
it counted sheep.
It stared at the ceiling
all through the night,
until over the sill
came dawn’s bright light.
A Murder of Crows by James Aitchison
Leave a commentI saw a tree
full of crows,
crows in rows,
rows and rows.
How many crows?
Heaven knows!
(Teacher’s note: The collective term for a group of crows is a murder, a horde, a hover, a mob, a parcel, a parliament, even a storytelling of crows.)
Australian Children’s Poetry 