I sat and watched the night steal in,
across the barren plain,
where a bowl of salt and water
will seize the sky again.
The fire of day lies frozen
in water still and wide,
and the lake will paint the sky
and the two will scarce divide.
Teacher’s note: Lake Tyrrell, a vast salt lake, is located near Sea Lake in northern Victoria.
We’re marooned in a caravan
and the rain is pouring down.
It’s pounding on the roof top,
a relentless, driving sound.
There’s a moat forming around us
and the ducks are moving in.
We could be here for days and days.
It could be sink or swim.
But inside the caravan,
It’s cosy, warm and bright.
We’ll dream of sun and sea and waves
While it buckets down all night.
(In response to prompt Winter Waves)
We’ve heard of Jack Frost, but is he alone?
Is there a Jacky? Is there a Joan?
Is Mrs Frost grim with a heart that is steely?
Or Jack’s tender side – more touchy-feely?
When he looks in the mirror and thinks he is cool,
does she send him to SpecSavers and call him a fool?
Does Jack have a temper? Prone to cold snaps?
Or misunderstood, the nicest of chaps?
(In response to Winter Waves prompt)
The sea can tell stories with never a word,
Yet when winter comes they are frequently heard.
Such stories will speak of both weather and wind
As dark clouds and dark seas say:
“Sun, you have sinned!”
“So retire in disgrace,
While our veil hides your face.
For this day or brief hour,
You are under our power!”
(In response to the Winter Waves prompt)
The Arctic Tern
spends half a year
up in the Northern
Hemisphere.
But when the Summer’
almost gone
and cooler Autumn
comes along
this sea-bird’s instinct’s
very strong
and sends them South
in one big throng.
From North Pole
to Antarctica
they travel sixteen
thousand k’s
in order to
avoid the cold
and stay beneath
Sun’s warmer rays.
So do Terns learn
to turn like this
or is it simply
hit and miss?
No, no. The Terns
turn all together.
‘Cos one good turn
deserves another!
Find out more about the Arctic Tern here
The sea where we live reflects winter sky
It’s beauty abounds but we don’t question why
We just build it up with our ‘oohs’ and our ‘ahhs’
We write out our feelings sitting warm in our cars
We don’t critisize as we watch the waves soar
We don’t harshly judge or give each wave a score
The beauty you see is untamed, therefore true
And we don’t mind it’s colour as green, black, or blue.
In response to Winter Waves prompt
Hi everyone. My name is Kerry Gittins and I’ve agreed to step into the very big and very hard to fill shoes of Jeanie Axton, our former site Administrator. I’m a retired music teacher and teacher librarian and have been writing picture books, short stories and poetry for the past ten years. I’ve had some stories and poems published online in anthologies, magazines, and showcased in local exhibitions, but I’ve yet to crack the elusive traditional publishing market! You can find out more about me on my author site The Book Tree. Jeanie has done an amazing job at showcasing Australian poetry through this site for the past five years and I hope both regular and new poets will continue, or being to contribute, their work. I’m excited (and a bit nervous!) to take on the administrator role but look forward to receiving, reading and posting your wonderful poems. Please take note of this new email address to contact me and to send your poems to as of Monday June 5, 2023: ozchildrenspoetry@gmail.com
“Poetry is eternal graffiti written in the heart of everyone.”
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Good Evening,
I would like to take this opportunity to let you know we have found a new administrator for the Australian Children’s Poetry Website. Kerry Gittins will be taking over the site from Monday. I wish her all the best in this and look forwards to seeing where she takes this valuable and treasured resource.
I would like to thank you all for your support and words of encouragement in the five years I have been the administrator. I have had a number of regulars who have committed themselves to writing and helped keep the site going and thriving with contributions .
All the best to you all in your individual writing endeavours. Let us all keep writing to support Kerry in her new role to keep poetry and especially Australian Children’s Poetry alive.
Thank-you All
Regards
Jeanie Axton
Australian Children’s Poetry 