SCARED!
by Edel Wignell
One day the numerals were playing in the park;
They all seemed friendly, the game was a lark.
But six was scared, kept glancing around –
Ready to dash away with a bound.
The leader called them to stand in a row,
But six hung back, refusing to go.
‘I’m scared of seven at the top of the line.’
So why was six scared? Because seven ate nine.
© The Australian Society of Authors
Blue Cheese and Honey
There lived a horse who liked blue cheese
Served on a plate upon his knees
And every day the meal he ate
was cheese he ‘d placed upon his plate.
While out one day he found some honey
and poured it all – so sweet and runny-
upon the cheese upon the plate
set on his knees and so he ate
But the honey he had taken
Could have been a BIG mistake!
Bees flying in a frenzied state
Made a beeline for his plate
The horse ran off and left the honey –
upon the cheese – all sweet and runny
Thousands landed on his cheese
consuming honey as they pleased
Till gorging on and sated soon
they droned off in the afternoon
The horse returned and placed the plate
upon his knees and he was pleased
to realise-at least the bees
had left his Blue Cheese – which he ate.!
So if you choose to eat blue cheese
served on a plate upon your knees
avoid the thought of honey dressing.
Blue cheese – alone -is quite impressing!
© 2013 Jill Carter-Hansen, jill@visionaryimages.com.au
MOBILE 0412 181101
WEB www.scbwi.org/Memberprofile.aspx?u=2971391104689993
At the Park
Great sticks in hand
we marched along
in lines as straight as roads
heading to the forest
where trees stand tall in rows
A sudden halt
I ground my stick
look back way o’er my shoulder
he follows, s l o w
stick trailing now
behind my little brother
“Come on!” I cry
to speed him up
one last green stretch to cover
not knowing what the forest holds
it’s best we stayed together
He caught up fast
stick raised up now
and pointed like a sword
quietly we crept along
eyes peeled as we moved forward
tip-toe
tip-toe
tip-toe
tip –
We stop again
feet poised and still
and listen to the breeze
it brings the sounds of something
that lives within these trees
We feel it getting closer
hot breath and heavy steps
sniffing those who trespass
growling
then he leapt!
The fury of the dragon
was felt in flames of red
firing from his toothy mouth
smoke swirling round his head
We squeal as terror finds us
deep in this tree-lined forest
swords waving ‘round
as high-pitched cries
and beating wings surround us
Running hard
we stumble t’wards
the lit end of the path
an exit from the danger
a dragon’s angry wrath
Feet flying now
we cross the grass
and flop onto the mat
relieved, and breathing hard
we laugh … should we go back?
© Kristina Hoy
About the poet
Previously a full-time high school Science teacher, I now spend most of my time with my two young children. My poems are usually based on nature, written with the intent to encourage kids to explore, learn and connect with the outside world.
Contact Details:
www.sandcastlesandskies.blogspot.com.au
Naked Nonsense: Guundie’s Ridiculous Rhymes
The Big Release
Today will be full moon.
I feel a little jumpy,
eat candy with a spoon.
My pet is also grumpy –
the fickle armadillo.
He hums a ghastly tune
and rips my finest pillow.
I feed him a chocolate prune,
dress him in his favourite coat,
tie him to a hot balloon
and set him free to float.
Soon he’ll land, will run and roam
and I’m glad he left my home!
© Guundie Kuchling
Rhyming Curse
I think my problem’s getting worse.
My every thought is thought in verse.
This habit’s now become a curse.
It happens all the time.
Each word inside me rattles round.
It plays with pattern, rhythm, sound
and won’t come out until it’s found
a perfect one to rhyme.
I wish I knew the way to mend
this most excruciating trend.
Just when will this affliction end?
What happens if it grows?
It’s shown no signs of stopping yet.
If I go on like this I bet
my brain will very soon forget
the way to think in prose.
The design of Australian Children’s Poetry blog site was the work of talented children’s author, Helen Ross. For months I have been trying to find funding from organisations to pay Helen for the considerable assistance she has rendered, including help after the post went up last month. More recently I applied to the National Children’s Book Council of Australia for funding. This is the thrust of their response:
“While we all agreed your project has distinct merit and we congratulate you on your vision and your passion, the Board is not in a financial position to support any external requests for funding.
“The National CBCA body is currently in a transition phase in developing its own financial security for its operations, this is not a small task I can assure you. Board members are working extremely long hours as volunteers themselves. We can certainly understand your position of wanting to create wonderful far-reaching projects that require funding—we’re in the same position as yourself in this regard.
“I can say the National Board is certainly looking forward to the day when we can offer this type of support; that would mean we have reached a significant point in our own development.
“We certainly wish you all the very best, as we know you have similar goals to ours.”
Naturally I am disappointed with the CBCA Board’s decision, but Helen has had to be paid. As a result I have paid her out of my own pocket.
If you would like to help defray my costs, please do so. You can contact me, at dibates@outlook.com and I will give you banking details. Your financial help would be greatly appreciated.
Dianne Bates,
Website convenor
http://www.enterprisingwords.com.au
Naked Nonsense: Guundie’s Ridiculous Rhymes
The Edible Swarm
By my door are massive trees,
swinging in a storm,
dropping lots of peas –
a gigantic swarm.
It comes in – the peas have keys –
and I squash them just like fleas,
get them on the stove to warm,
put them on a plate,
and eat dinner, thanks to fate!
Guundie Kuchling, born in Salzburg, gained her Master of Fine Arts in Vienna and arrived in Australia in 1987 with her husband Gerald, a world turtle expert.
Guundie has published 11 picture books and exhibits widely: oil paintings, water colours, lino prints, and sculptures. Her interests include throat singing, native wildlife, ear rings, growing vegetables, dry felting, labyrinths, and encouraging others to live creatively.
THE FAMILY CAT
Nestled on my lap
in a crevassed curve
to his liking
sharp edges unseen
body rounded
relaxed
rested
like a freshly placed pudding
plumped yet pleasing
to the eye
I feel the warmth
the beat
the motor mechanics
within
Purrrfectly Purrring…
Purrrfectly Purrring…
Purrrfectly Purrring…
I smooth his soft silkiness
and see
sleepy slits
slowly open
to reveal
green
golden
globes
gleaming
in contrast to black beauty
His eyes look into mine
adoringly…
speaking to my soul…
I trust you to care.
© Dianne Ellis
Throughout my life, I have enjoyed the company of cats in my home. I find the majority of cats are very soulful creatures, particularly the pure black ones who gracefully prance around taking confident ownership of property and loved ones.
One day I was sitting down writing when my gorgeous black Shadow effortlessly leapt onto my lap and settled there, as he always did.
It was only a moment in time but I felt the need to share my feelings and highlight Shadow’s special silent message through this poem. I hope you enjoy my words.
I have written poetry all my life, however in recent years, my love of writing has steered me towards children’s stories. Rusty Rumble and his Smelly Socks and Rusty Rumble’s Day at the Beach are my first published picture books and excerpts from my books can be seen on www.diannellisbooks.com.au
©Kate O’Neil
The launch of the Australian Children’s Poetry website is an important event. It will be a rich resource for students, teachers and poets and a meeting place for everyone with an interest in any aspect of children’s poetry – readers, writers, teachers, parents, performers, academics, illustrators. In recent years children’s poetry has received renewed attention in many quarters – schools, media, academia, publishing – with a growing recognition of just how valuable it can be in a child’s development.
This new website will enable Australian children and their guiding influences to learn about contemporary Australian writers as well as the Australian tradition from which they have grown.
That tradition has, of course, a world-wide heritage as well, and a number of websites in both the UK and US are testimony to an exciting spirit of revival in this important literature.
Many of them include articles or features which have value for readers or writers everywhere and browsers who have enjoyed some time on the home pasture might be interested to explore further.
Children’s poetry sites UK.
This is run by Roger Stevens who has been publishing children’s poems online since 1998. The site also has interviews with a number of well-known children’s poets.
Website of The Poetry Book Society founded by T S Eliot and Friends in 1953. Use search facility for material related to children’s poetry. eg Poetry Books for …Tiny Terrors”
Type ‘children’s poetry’ into the search bar for some great articles on children’s poetry.
www.cam.ac.uk/research/discussion/the-case-for-children’s-poetry
In 2011 Morag Styles became the first “Professor of Children’s Poetry (Cambridge). This is the wonderful essay she wrote to mark the occasion of her appointment.
National Centre for Primary Schools @ CLPE
This is a free poetry website for primary schools. It features well-known poets, children’s poems, Themes, Poetic devices, Resources, Courses and events.The resources include many well-known poets speaking about their craft.
Centre for Literacy in Primary Education – type ‘poetry’ into the search facility.
Included here is a list of winners of the CLPE Poetry Award since 2003
Blog of Poetry Advocates for Children & Young Adults ( PACYA )
This is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting poetry for every age group founded by poet Steven Withrow in 2011.
Children’s Poetry Sites US
http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com.au/
Run by Sylvia Vardell, a professor of children’s and young adult literature at Texas Woman’s University.
http://www.ncte.org/awards/poetry
The National Council of Teachers of English gives awards to American books of children’s poetry based on criteria listed on the site. There is also a list of winners since 1977 and links to their individual websites and to related articles.
Greetings and welcome to all poetry lovers visiting this brand new site!
Within two days of the Australian Children’s Poetry site going up, there were well over 2,000 hits, a fair indication of the interest nationally and internationally in Australian children’s poets and their poetry.
Thanks so much to all of you who have left congratulatory comments and offers of future support. There’s more to come, so remember to keep popping over, and do spread the word, please. (Don’t forget to contribute poems, articles, links, reviews and interviews, as well.)
The inspiration for creating the blog came about seven years ago when I was compiling Australian children’s poems for an anthology. While trying to track down poets’ contact details (to ask for permission and to offer payment), I soon found that most Australian children’s poets do not have an online presence. Why isn’t there a dedicated site, I asked myself when organisations such as the National Library of Australia were unable to locate one.
Believing that it if it’s got to be, it’s up to me, I began exploring the options for a website. I stopped short at a quote of $25,000 to build one. Then I found Helen Ross, a children’s author, who agreed to create a blog for far less money. Thank you, Helen! (When my funding application is approved, I will let the world know which organisation has given its much welcomed support.)
Meanwhile, the anthology I’d compiled was (finally) contracted, and Our Home is Dirt by Sea will be published by Walker Books Australia in 2015. Thank you, Sarah Foster, one of the few Australian publishers who give ongoing support to publishing children’s poetry.
I asked all contributing poets if they would like to leave their contact details with their biographies so that anthologists, festival, conference organisers and schools could apply to use their poems and/or to invite the poets to speak publicly, and to present poetry readings. I also asked them to provide up to three poems each to give a sample of their talents.
Poetry is a big deal in the UK where it is common for children’s poets to strut their stuff in schools, etc. And, too, although I don’t have statistics to support my claim, I believe there are more poetry collections and anthologies published there each year than here in Australia.
My aim is to put Australian children’s poetry on every map there is. Please help spread the word. And in the meantime, enjoy what’s on offer here and leave your comments. Thanks!
Dianne (Di) Bates
11/3/14
Australian Children’s Poetry 