Please note our special of the day:
(eat it here – or take-away)
Rye-grass pellets dipped in swill
lightly fried or from the grill
Perhaps your choice is a la carte:
hay or lucerne, pie or tart.
Bonemeal biscuits served with slops
(fewer calories than chops)
Seasonal silage steamed or fried
sautéed birdseed on the side.
And should you feel inclined to quaff
please place your order at the trough
Kudos to the queue – not cue
(for that’s a hint or hit for billiard ball)
Kudos to the queue – not coupe
(for that’s a shock surprise for city hall)
Kudos to the queue – not coo
(for that’s what doves and grannies tend to do)
Kudos to the queue – not Que
(For that’s a Tassie river … yes, it’s true!)
Kudos to the queue – you knew
This had to end and now the end is due
But kudos to the queue – a row
Of sailor’s hair or pelicans you know.
There was once a well-mannered manatee,
who rarely indulged in profanity.
But when confronted with queues,
she blew every fuse
and swore with manic insanity.
Can You Guess?
Can you guess of whom I speak?
He has no claws and he has no beak.
No fangs nor feathers nor fleece nor fur.
And he won’t get upset if you don’t call him sir.
Whilst not renowned for being a mobster,
He crushes and eats many a lobster.
You’d probably part with your hard earned dollar
If I told you his body can change its colour.
In the encyclopedia me finds
There are over fifty different kinds.
Though not much bigger than your fist,
Don’t cross him off your friendship list.
The smartest of all invertebrates,
I proudly class him as one of my mates.
His legs aren’t long, but they number eight.
I think this creature something great.
I tell you of the octopus,
Who lives his life with minimal fuss.
Should one of his legs be gone without trace,
Another one grows back in its place.
Why do I like the octopus so?
He’s resourceful and quiet and not too slow.
But I think it’s his kindness which sets him apart.
I guess I’d be the same if I had three hearts.
I had a little yoyo,
It travelled up and down;
Courtesy of a reel of string
I twirled it round and round.
Every day I walked the dog
and journeyed round the world.
I’d create a baby’s cradle
And make loop to loops unfurl.
I’d forward pass and go over the falls
And produce a man on a trapeze.
Then hop the fence and go around the corner,
Whilst the throwdown was done with ease.
On other days I might do the sleeper,
Skin the cat and reach for the moon.
Go into a time warp or gravity pull,
And then breakaway by noon.
Where is my little yoyo now?
It still twirls round and round.
A young lad bought it at my garage sale
And took it out of town.
X-ray, X-ray, what do you see?
X-ray looking right through me.
Does it mean you see the truth?
More than simply bone and tooth?
X-ray, am I looking fine?
Or am I somewhat in decline?
X-ray, tell me, what’s the news?
Expound to me your point of view.
My body says I’m in good health.
My bank says likewise of my wealth.
X-ray please don’t spoil my day.
Tell me what you see I pray.
I hope you are in gentle mood.
Please reveal something good.
Show to me your photograph,
Allow me now the final laugh.
X-ray, what is this I see?
Can this be the real me?
For lurking deep beneath my skin,
You show, there lies, a skeleton.
Killi Koala
Killi Koala
sleeps most of the day
on his mother’s back
as she scampers away
up and down eucalypts
the whole night through
finding special leaves
for them both to chew
©Katherine Gallagher
There’s a thank you in my heart
That’s big enough to burst apart,
And bright enough to dim the stars,
And loud enough to hear from Mars,
And grand enough to meet a king,
And sweet enough for birds to sing.
There’s a thank you in my heart
So big, in fact, it’s off the chart.
But for those who risk it all,
My thank you still seems much too small.
My Pet
I beg my mum for my very own pet.
She winks at me and says “you bet!”
But – it must not purr
Or have soft fur.
It must not bark
Or like the park.
No pets with a beak
That tweet (or shriek).
No pets that peak
Or sneak or squeak.
It can’t have hair;
Can’t need much care;
Can’t be boring;
Mind the flooring!
At the store I search until dark…
Mum’s going to love my new pet shark!
Australian Children’s Poetry 