Her smile sweet cherry red
enticing
Honey suckle breath scented.
Indiscriminately
sharing her favours
with all.
And the ageing summer
Lingers,
A tedious bore to all.
©
Margaret Pearce
Category Archives: Australian children’s poets
“River Red Gum” by Rachael Bartlett
Leave a commentI could never hold the wisdom that this River Red Gum holds
I am simply not big enough, nor will I ever get so old
I sit amongst its roots and accept that I am small
Its branches frame the sky so I don’t have to hold it all
Its waxy leaves they twinkle in the sun and in the rain
They fall and die and rot and then become the tree again
Purple, orange, white, what will the sun paint you today?
While you conduct the life below with the pattern of your shade
Eggs of owls and parrots stowed in your secret nooks and cracks
Then when day meets night you bloom with your erratic flocks of tiny bats
I wish that I was you sometimes, I wish I was so solid
But here I am, a little seed, a mobile hominid (that means human)
I, not so sophisticated, bones wrapped up in skin
I leak, I break, I tear, I burn, I can’t grow back a limb!
I cannot sit so still to ride the Earth around its axis
But sitting still and wisdom are two things that I can practice
”Easter Bunny’s Funny Dance”By Louise McCarthy
Leave a comment
Hop, hip, hop, hop, hop,
Hip, hip, hip, hop, stop.
The Easter Bunny’s hip hop dance,
It’s quite a sight, I caught a glance.
It goes hop, hip, hop, hip, hop, hop,
Turns around, hip, hip, hop, stop,
Tosses chocolate from its hamper
Then does a rather silly scamper.
See if you can do this dance,
Why not hip hop – take a chance.
Everyone – young and old,
“The Replicators” by Celia Berrell
Leave a commentViruses are tiny packs
of genes with DNA
all coated in a protein shell
and that is how they stay.
They cannot grow or reproduce.
They couldn’t win a fight,
until they find themselves a host.
Become a parasite.
For when its shell (or capsid) sticks
upon the right cell wall,
it penetrates its way inside.
Invaders one and all.
Inside the cell its coat dissolves
releasing all its genes
that force the cell to make lots more
of virus’s machines.
And when that cell’s exhausted and
its functioning has ceased,
its walls break down so hundreds
of the virus are released.
And they in turn find other cells
to replicate their kind.
An alien dictatorship
with just themselves in mind!
We haven’t found a medicine
to stop them in their tracks.
But being vaccinated primes
our bodies for attacks.
some others make us ill.
And some don’t do much harm at all
and never ever will.
In fact we think that some are friends
that helped us on our way
to owning our complexities
of genes and DNA.
When tracing back genetic codes
through evolution’s tree,
it seems that we are eight percent
of virus – you and me!
https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/virus/390098
“ Count-up to Planet Bed” by Katherine Gallagher
Leave a commentCount-up to Planet Bed
I’m one for the window
and two for the door.
I’m three for the ceiling
and four for the floor.
I’m five for the morning
and six for the night.
I’m seven for the stairs
and eight for the light.
I’m nine for a story
and ten for my bed.
Now I’m off for a dream
to hold in my head.
(Published in Toothpaste Trouble (ed. Nick Toczek, Macmillan, 2002)
“If ever there was a time for poetry, it’s now” by Penny Szentkuti
Leave a commentIf ever there was a time for poetry, it’s now
When people are unsure
Their minds alive with fear, routines undone,
Bring words of hope and words of beauty,
Bring words of comfort to everyone.
When people are confined
Their choices curtailed, plans put aside,
Bring words of light and words of strength,
Bring words of freedom to inspire
When people are frustrated,
Their tempers strained, their goodwill thin,
Bring words of laughter and words of peace
Bring words of love to hold within.
“Moon-watch” by Katherine Gallagher
Leave a commentMoon–watch
We’ve been studying the moon –
drawing it, remembering all the moons
we’ve ever seen.
Just now, through the window,
there’s a daylight-moon looking fragile,
shell–soft, pale white.
I’d love to go up there
whizzing through the blue,
landing on the moon’s pearly face.
What a journey –
a first for our school.
Sure, I would, after a good look around.
And I’d want to keep talking about it –
a holiday in a lifetime. . .
© Katherine Gallagher
“ THE YEAR OF THE MALE METAL RAT” by Jan Darling
Leave a commentTHE YEAR OF THE MALE METAL RAT
Not only the Year of the Rat – not that!
It’s the Year of the Male Metal Rat.
Rats like hard work and their focus aims out
They prefer to be active, they don’t like to doubt.
They’re powerful and strong like the blade of a knife
They have rigid opinions on money and life.
Boy Rats are clever and quick to adapt
Girl Rats are homely, in family they’re rapt
Their houses are tidy, all things in their place
They care for their families with prudence and grace
Boy Rats are creative and keen to advance
They have good ideas but don’t seize the chance.
Rat is the first of zodiacal years
*He tricked the Ox and jumped over his ears!
They’re liked by most and they’re usually kind
They’re technical thinkers, by study refined.
Rat may design buildings, his detail is fine
Engineering is also a likely Rat line.
They’re gifted with brains but say things that may hurt
Rats tell you the truth but sometimes sound curt.
As workers in teams they’re not at their best
Creating’s their thing – with ideas they’re blest.
They’re said to bring wealth in gen’rous profusion
All Rats make good friends – that’s my conclusion.
*according to myth the Jade Emperor decided to allocate the zodiacal years by the order in which the invited animals arrived at his party. Rat tricked Ox into giving him a ride and when they reached the finishing line Rat jumped over his ears and claimed first place.
“Rescue Dogs” by Toni Newell
Leave a commentRescue Dogs
On the radio,
I heard the news today,
There was a rush on dogs,
I pray they have good homes,
With love and stimulation,
Assisting their new owners,
To cope with isolation.
Shelters almost empty,
Which is wonderful I know,
But when this crisis ends,
Will it still be so?
There’s a question I ponder,
“Which is really true?”
Between the two of them,
“Who’s actually rescuing who?”.
“Lilli Black Swan” by Katherine Gallagher
Leave a commentLilli Black Swan
Lilli Black Swan
has her best feathers on
and she’s never topsy-turvy
though the water’s quite curvy
©Katherine Gallagher
Australian Children’s Poetry 