Tag Archives: animal poems

The Tjuntjun Cat by Stewart Ennis

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The Tjuntjun cat is a lonely cat,
and possibly,
the only cat
in Tjuntjuntjara.

For Tjuntjun is a dog town.
Not a mog town.
It’s the top dog town,
for miles around.
Even the coolest cat
will not be found
upon this doggone red hot ground
they call
Tjuntjuntjara.

Except this cat.

This Tjuntjun cat is a courageous cat,
a cautious, trepidatious cat.
For it is disadvantageous
to even be a cat
in Tjuntjuntjara.
In Tjuntjun it’s dogs that rule the roost.
They roam the streets,
play fast and loose
with the lives of any creature,
great or small,
that’s not a dog.

The Tjuntjun cat
must keep its cats eyes peeled.
It’s a battlefield
where every day
you’re a whisker away
from Death by Dog.
But this brave moggie’s
gonna make real sure
it don’t end up
as the plate du jour
at the Desert Dog Café.


No, the Tjuntjun cat
won’t be seen cat-nappin
while the Tjuntjun dogs
are out cat-trappin.
There can be no catnaps
til the cat-flap’s flappin
and the Tjuntjun cat’s
curled up on its cushion,
dreamin its dream
of revolution
in the alleyway.
When every pet
when every stray
when every cat’s
gonna have its day. . .
. . . in Tjuntjuntjara.

Tjuntjuntjara (sounds quite like Joon-Joon-Jarra) is a remote Aboriginal community in the Great Victoria Desert region of Western Australia (Photo: Stewart Ennis)

Henry The Mouse by Toni Newell

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Henry,
was a little mouse
Who lived in the basement
Of a very large house.
 
At night,
when the lights went out
Henry would surface
And wander about.

He’d go to the kitchen 
In search of some food
And eat what he fancied
Dependent on mood.

Sometimes,
He yearned for a little sweet
He’d raid the cupboard 
To find what to eat.

He’d spend the night
Collecting food
To take back to
His little brood.

Mrs Henry was 
Delighted to see 
All the goodies provided
For the family tea.

Henry was clever
And avoided the traps
That held peanut butter
And that’s why perhaps.

He wasn’t a fan
Of that particular spread
Which saved his life
Otherwise he’d be dead.

Henry had lived
In the house for five years
Had avoided the traps
Which was one of his fears.

So Henry continued
Whilst his family grew
But dwellings were shrinking
Need to find somewhere new.

So he sent his grown children
To the house next door
He helped them set up
Which was quite a big chore.

Now two happy families 
Live side by side
Mrs Henry and Henry
Are both filled with pride.

Have You Ever? by Warren Cox

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Have you ever seen a turtle swimming with a whale?
Have you ever seen an elephant dancing with a snail?
Have you ever seen a grasshopper hopping with a frog?
Or a big fat walrus barking like a dog?

Have you ever seen a wagtail without a tail to wag?
Have you ever seen a hippo and a rhino playing tag?
Have you ever seen a kookaburra eating Christmas cake?
Or a lion and a tiger, laughing at a snake?

Have you ever seen a billy goat flying through the air?
Have you ever seen an alligator sitting on a chair?
Have you ever seen a goldfish splashing in your pool?
Or a baa baa black sheep on its way to school?

Have you ever seen an emu nesting in a tree?
Have you ever seen a butterfly bathing with a bee?
Have you ever seen a panda bear sliding on a sled?
Or a big bad wolf standing on its head?

Have you ever seen a rooster slipping down a slide?
Have you ever seen a peacock at the sea-side?
Have you ever seen a kitten give a puppy dog a hug?
Or a huge great dane shaking paws with a pug?

Have you ever seen a monkey dressed up like a clown
Have you ever seen a kangaroo hanging upside down?
Have you ever seen a rabbit thumb its nose at a fox
Or a two humped camel with its head inside a box

If you’ve never watched a wombat make dinner for a goat,
or a rooster and a rabbit drinking coffee on a boat.
If you’ve never seen a turkey doing ballet with a duck,
then I’ve got to say, “Dear children, you are just plain out of luck.”

Thirsty Work by Andrew Plant

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My giraffe is so very high 

That she can almost touch the sky 

She reaches up to the tallest of trees 

And off of their branches she eats their leaves 

But my giraffe must get thirst I think 

So what does she do when she wants a drink 

She has to bend down and make herself shorter  

So she can drink from the cool clear water 

Then when she’s finished up again  

I think that it must be a terrible strain 

I wonder if she would be aloud 

To drink the water out of the cloud? 

The Sneeze by Andrew Plant

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As Effie elephant walked through some trees  

She suddenly felt she was going to sneeze 

And her trunk was so big and her trunk was so long  

The sneeze that came out was amazingly strong 

It sneezed away birds, as they flew by   

It sneezed away clouds that were up in the sky  

It sneezed away leaves and it sneezed away flowers 

It sneezed away houses and castles and towers  

When Effie had finished her huge ACHOO 

A voice far far away called out –  ‘Bless you’ 

Mortimer Frog by James Aitchison

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Mortimer Frog lived down by the creek, 

Down by the creek he lived.

And he croaked by the creek,

Croak, croak, croak,

Down by the creek he croaked.

Photo by Pixabay

Poem of the Day

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Eight amazing animals

by Monty Edwards

 

Animals ev’rywhere always amaze:

Big beefy buffaloes quietly graze;

Cats with their claws out can climb and can scratch;

Dogs dive for balls using teeth for a catch;

Elephants’ ears are as big as can be;

Foxes from hunters can speedily flee;

Gentle giraffes are remarkably tall;

Heavyweight hippos have ears that are small.

I like the ibex. It surely can climb.

Just don’t wait for zebra. I haven’t the time!

 

  • Submitted in response to Poetry Prompt #11 – Write an Alphabet Poem.

poemhand

Author comment:  For an alphabetic assignment I wanted a subject of interest to children that was represented by many examples. This would help provide maximum flexibility for the alphabetic choices and the accompanying rhymes. Animals seemed ideal. I decided to underline the alphabetic structure with some alliteration and the final line, but stopped at J to avoid monotony and less convincing examples.

Poem of the Day

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A Goat Afloat

by Pat Simmons

 

I wear a silver collar, I’m a rather special goat.

Hooves firmly planted on the ground, but once I was afloat.

 

‘A goat afloat?’ I hear you say. It’s true. Ask Captain Cook.

Twice I’ve sailed around the world.

I’d like to write a book

Called

Memoirs of my life at sea

Jottings by a goat

The good the bad the ugly facts

Of life upon a boat

 

Well, all right, ships

Let’s get it right

Named

Dolphin and Endeavour

And with respect, I must say this,

I really hope I never set hoof again on either one.

Three years was long enough.

Giving milk for all that time quite frankly dears was tough.

 

Smelly sheep and smelly hens, smelly cattle too

Smelly cats and smelly dogs

And very smelly crew.

Snow and storms and slippery decks, fresh grass in short supply.

No other goats to chatter with to help the time pass by.

But now I’m home and quite well known

(My story’s in the press)

Enjoying my retirement, free from stormy seas and stress.

 

I wear a silver collar, I’m a rather special goat.

Hooves firmly planted on the ground, but once I was afloat.