A drafted poem
Once I was a little kid
just like you.
I had to write a poem
but didn’t know what to do
I sat at a desk
with a well full of ink
I dipped a pen in
and wrote what I think
was my best
But my best needed work
so I sat down to think;
scratched out some words
with my pen and ink
Another word didn’t sound
all that good
so I crossed it right out
and put one that would
I did this a few times
then read words aloud
and played with the rhythms
and played with the sound
I’d written a poem
that made sense when read
that rhymed pretty well
and it came from my head
I’m a grown-up now,
and I’ve written lots,
but some words I write
don’t quite fit the box
Still I rewrite the verse
or the phrase or whole poem
It’s what writers do
before they get known.
There’s nothing wrong
with not getting it right,
just as long as you make sure
to sit down and write.
Alix Phelan, January, 2017.
Australian Children’s Poetry 