Manatee Anarchy
By Bill Condon
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.
- Submitted in response to Poetry Prompt #7
Tag Archives: fun poems for children
Poems of the Day
Leave a commentThese three short poems were submitted in response to Poetry Prompt #5.
A Spider’s Dilemma
by Pat Simmons
An arthritic arachnid with eight knobbly knees
Sought medical help for her painful disease.
Her doctor prescribed her with cream to rub in
But the problem was how and just where to begin!
Pillow Pet
By Nadine Cranenburgh
My old dog Spot
is hard to spot
when hiding in my bed
He’s found a spot
all soft and hot
curled underneath my head
{Nadine says: The aim was to include a word that has multiple meanings.}
Greedy Guts
by Dianne Bates
Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner,
Eating his Christmas pie
He ate it all, every crumb.
‘What’s for seconds?’
he asked his mum.
A Good Square Meal by Kate O’Neil
Leave a commentAnimal Feed Available at Restaurant
MENU
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
Poem of the Day
Leave a commentMagic making
by Jenny Erlanger
Half a slug, a beetle’s bum,
a spoon of slime, a cup of scum,
a centipede, a rotten plum,
my special, magic tea.
A final pinch of possum poo
and that completes my witch’s brew
but as to what this brew will do…
Here, try some and we’ll see.
Poem of the Day
Leave a commentEYESORE-OSAURS
By Bill Condon
I’ve studied all the dinosaurs
That history’s unravelled,
And found a few new species
On the many roads I’ve travelled.
There’s the arrogant Ignore-osaur
That walks with head on high.
It does not even deign to look
As it trundles by.
The Badbreath-osaur has germs galore
And needs to brush its teeth.
The Crook-osaur is, for sure,
A crafty little thief.
The Bore-osaur is tedious,
The Brag-osaur’s a pain.
If nothing else, Umbrella-saurs,
Are handy in the rain.
I quite admire the Stutter-saur
It tries with all its might,
To master elocution,
But it never gets it right.
My favourite though,
I have to say, is bits of this and that.
Part brontosaur, part stegosaur,
Part giant pussycat.
I call it Jigsaw-osaur,
Its wonder never ceases.
I have a skeleton of one,
Though I’m missing vital pieces …
Poem of the Day
Leave a commentCome and see the dinosaurs
by Bill Condon
Come and see the dinosaurs
dancing in the street,
with bows upon their shiny claws
and glitter on their feet.
A little liposuction,
lippy here and there,
with plaited tails and painted toes
and roses in their hair.
Dripping with perfumery
and skipping to and fro,
a dozen dainty dinosaurs
putting on a show.
They’ve visited the beauty shop –
a rare and lovely treat –
and now they’re happy dinosaurs,
dancing in the street!
Poem of the Day
Leave a commentRaising parents
by Jenny Erlanger
I’ve told them dinner must be served
at six o’clock each night.
How hard is that, I ask, to understand?
I’ve told them when my friends come round
to stay right out of sight,
another very practical command.
I’ve told my dad to clear away
the mess inside the shed
and Mum to tidy up the pantry shelves.
It seems they haven’t listened
to a single word I’ve said.
They’re clearly much too focused on themselves.
It’s time they learned that I’m the boss,
that I make all the rules,
that life was always meant to be that way.
They’re proving hard to educate,
this stubborn pair of fools.
I’ve yet to give an order they’ll obey!
Poem of the Day
Leave a commentClearing cobwebs
by Jenny Erlanger
Mum said I shouldn’t worry
that I didn’t need the doc,
that I’d clear away the cobwebs
with a walk around the block
So I went and fetched my sneakers
and I did what I was told.
I grabbed my woollen beanie
and I stepped out in the cold.
The walk was quite refreshing.
quite a joy, I’d have to say
but it didn’t help at all
to make the cobwebs go away.
It might have been less trouble
if I’d gone into my room
and poked into the corners
of my ceiling with a broom.
Poem of the Day
Leave a commentBlown Away
by Nadine Cranenburgh
I’ll tell you where I’ve been
I don’t think you’ll believe it
It started with a leaf
And me running to retrieve it
It fluttered through the rain
And over lots of puddles
So when I caught it up
I was soaked and in a muddle
It settled down at last
Upon a rotten jetty
I reached for it with hands
That were colder than a Yeti’s
That leaf was almost mine
I stretched out with a sigh
But then it blew away
To a dingy tied nearby
A sudden gale-force gust
Sent us sailing through the ocean
I clung on like a limpet
Feeling seasick from the motion
The wind dropped, I was lost
With no clue of north or south
Right then the leaf bobbed gently
Through a great whale’s gaping mouth
Surprisingly I followed
What else was there to do?
But leaves give whales an itchy throat
So skywards we both flew
I splashed into the sea
And heard a rotor spinning
A helicopter scooped
Another ride beginning!
I madly treaded water
Determined not to drown
We flew above a fire
And the helo tipped us down
I landed fairly softly
Upon a smoky shore
Close by the burned-out jetty
Where the dingy was before
A seagull grabbed the leaf
Flapped through the ashes squawking
My leaf was gone for good
So back home I started walking
That’s why I’m late for tea
It’s true, just like I said
What’s this, a leafy salad?
I might just go to bed.
Poem of the Day
Leave a commentOld Fred and Kazinsky
by Mike Lucas
Old Fred never knew where Kazinsky went to every night when he opened the door.
That cat would run free and he’d sprint up the tree to the roof, then away to explore.
He’d hear a faint howl and then sometimes a growl and then nothing until the next day
When Kazinsky returned, but Old Fred never learned where he went till he looked far away.
Now Old Fred had no job (he was old), but a hobby he had was to gaze at the stars
And the planets and moon (with its seas and its dunes). He would spend all night gazing afar.
One night as he gazed out his window and raised his old telescope up to a crater
He had to look twice when he saw several mice running round with a mouse sized cheese grater.
‘Mice on the moon!’ shouted Fred in a swoon. ‘Mice on the moon! It can’t be!’
It can’t be moon mice! It can’t be, I say twice. But I see moon mice! That’s what I see!’
He rubbed at his eyes, looked again at the skies, at the moon, at the…what on Earth’s that?
Then out from a dune on the moon mice’s moon sprang a moon…m…m…moon c…c…cat!
‘Kazinsky!’ yelled Fred, as the moon mice all fled, leaving clouds of cheese dust in their wake.
‘Kazinsky!’ yelled Fred. ‘It’s Kazinky!’ yelled Fred. ‘It’s Kazinsky and make no mistake!’
In and out the moon’s holes, up and down the moon’s knolls, the wee moon mice ran eeking and squeaking.
They poked out their tongues and they wobbled their bums while Kazinsky chased after them, shrieking.
At times the moon wobbled while moon mice were gobbled and moon cheese flew this way and that.
Some leapt for the stars, but they didn’t get far for Kazinsky the cat chased them back.
At one point there landed a spaceship commanded by aliens from far away,
And Kazinsky sold mice to them for twice the price of what Earthlings would normally pay.
This madness went on more than half the night long as the moon swam away from the east.
And let it be said that the cat of Old Fred had a handsome and heavenly feast.
As the sun started rising on the eastern horizon the moon met the Earth in the west,
And Kazinsky stepped down to the new morning’s ground to prowl home for a well deserved rest.
Kazinsky arrived at just gone half past five as Old Fred nodded off where he sat.
Through the window he crept as Old Fred soundly slept, dreaming dreams of an astronaut cat.
He strolled to the chair and at Fred sleeping there and he settled down onto his lap,
And Kazinsky the cat and Old Fred, just like that, spent the whole day enjoying a nap.
Australian Children’s Poetry 