Category Archives: Australian children’s poetry

“Night Stalker” by Julie Cahill

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It seems of late, a cheeky elf has morphed inside of me
At night I lay here wide awake, then sneak away to see
Creatures great and creatures small, some all lithe and inky
Some are kind and others hungry and some are downright stinky
Flitting in between the trees, over hill and dale
Suddenly I’m stationary, morphed into a snail
My Mum will worry when she finds I’m nowhere to be found
‘I’m down here, Mum, in the bushes sliding on the ground.’
But as I crane my neck right out, far out from my shell
My arms fall out, turn to wings and lift me from that hell
I’m soaring now; a butterfly, orange, green and blue and as I land I’m now confronted by a young girl’s shoe
It looks familiar, that it does, pressed against my nose
Good gracious I was dreaming then almost comatose
I must have fallen from my bed, knocked myself unconscious
I twitch each part hoping that every part’s responsive
I hear Mum calling
‘Breakfast time,’ I stand and dust my pride
But don’t you worry, Cheeky Elf is safely tucked inside.

“Mr Squiggle:the man from the moon” by Andrew Carter

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Mr. Squiggle: the man from the moon

 

Here’s Mr. Squiggle, with lots of puns for everyone

Here’s Mr. Squiggle, sing a tune from the moon

You can see with glee his home’s a mystery

Crater Crescent – his home on the moon.

 

Blackboard says, ‘upside-down, upside down’

‘Hurry-up, hurry-up,’ Easel frowns,

Steamshovel has a joke, Mr. Squiggle says, ‘soon’

‘Knock, knock,’ ‘I’m home on the moon’

 

Children write-in squiggles and tricky riddles

Mr. Squiggle solves scribbly dibbly scribbles

Pencils by his nose, everything he knows

He walks the moon with a happy lunar tune

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“Winter Wind” by J.R. Poulter

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“Kickflips in Vienna” by James Aitchison

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KICKFLIPS IN VIENNA

Vienna’s railway station,

the Vienna Hauptbahnhof,

is not just very modern —

it will blow your socks right off!

 

The roofs go up,

the roofs go down,

the greatest ramps in town.

As trains pull in

and trains pull out,

you can slide on down.

 

Achtung, achtung!

Do an ollie!

Then a darkslide,

Ja, ja, ja!

Goofy-Foot and fakie next,

Vienna’s station is the best!

 

Translation note: in German, a Hauptbahnof is a city’s main train station.

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“Lamb chop, Sharni and Friends” by Toni Newell

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Lamb Chop , Shari and Friends

Lamb Chop was a little lamb,

Who shared a sock with Shari,

And Shari shared her voice with her,

And never made her hurry.

They used to talk a lot about,

People and various things,

And Lamb Chop could get feisty,

With Shari and her castings.

Lolly Pincus was Lamb Chop’s friend,

A bestie you could say,

Who had a crush on Hush Puppy,

Another friend at play.

However, more than often,

She would speak before she thought at all,

And Shari would have to rescue her,

To keep her from the fall.

Lamb Chop could be ever so sweet,

And she could also be mean,

But most of all she loved Shari,

And the puppet team.

“Archie” by James Aitchison

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ARCHIE
Christopher Robin went down with Alice
To see the new baby at Buckingham Palace.
There they found Archie,
Dressed in Versace,
Having his tea with the Queen.
Prince Harry and Meghan were there in style,
And you should have seen Her Majesty’s smile!
It was a great date
To come celebrate
The cutest baby they’d seen.
                                   James Aitchison

“It’s Bear School” by Louise McCarthy

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There’s a bear in there!

Who should I tell?

There are people inside,

I try to yell.

It’s a grizzly bear!

Please take care!

It will chase you,

It will chase you.

 

But don’t despair,

There’s a window – square,

There’s a round and an arch,

Hurry, hurry; quick march

Which shape do you pick?

Tick-tock, tock-tick.

Be fast; not slow.

Be fast; not slow.

 

Now the people have fled,

But the story’s unread.

With a book in his paws,

The grizzly bear roars –

“It’s time for a tale.

Sit, listen, don’t wail.”

It’s bear school!

It’s bear school!

“Tea and TV” by Penny Szentkuti

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Tea and TV

‘Tea and TV’ –
that precious half hour,
the age old song,
its siren power.
Snuggled on the couch,
a snack plate to nibble,
a peep through the windows,
Teds Big and Little.
A spot of craft
and a lively tune,
a welcome diversion
in the long afternoon.
Tea and TV,
whatever the weather,
those faces were friends,
they held us together

Penny Szentkuti

 

“A Circus in Time” by Andrew Carter

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A Circus in Time

Mum, “The big top is here, a three-ring circus hits town

Lions, tigers, apes and other trained animals, it’s here for six weeks.

Sideshows, freak shows, clowns between acts with dotted gowns

Musicians, magicians, acrobats and jugglers with spotty cheeks.”

 

The white-top’s up, we’re at The Greatest Show – it’s last moon

A circus is alive, festooned with shooting galleries, it’s intense.

Signs are all around, mystical and magical like a cartoon

Buggies drive, statues come alive, dancers jive in tents.

 

A swinger catches the rope with grace, without a care in air

Acrobats do fly tricks with elegance – seeming to be at ease.

One falls from grace to the trampoline, then bounces from despair

She’s the bee’s knees catching a bar with ease – a flying trapeze.

 

Fireworks pop, a whip-cracker cracks cracking black whips

A clown loses his pants when he hears a firecracker crack.

Now to the kiosk for fairyfloss, hotdogs, donuts and hot chips  

A circus was here for a time, next day they start to pack.

 

“Circus-Apprentice” by Katherine Gallagher

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Circus-Apprentice

 

I’m learning it all – acrobatics, clowning,

riding bareback and trapeze,

fire from a sleeve: my hand’s a wand.

I weave my life around dancing elephants

who spray the air while turning their backs

on the crowd;

lions who never put a foot wrong.

I’m taking their cue, I’ve seen

what people want.

Prancing ponies teach me steps:

pacing, adroitness, like my fellow-dancers

keeping their spot.

I’m walking the high-wire, making my mark

poised, balanced, don ’t look away –

you are my gravity’s other edge.

© Katherine Gallagher

(Published in Carnival-Edge: New & Selected Poems (Arc Publications, 2010)