Yesterday
Yesterday, today was just a thought inside my head.
Yesterday, today was my tomorrow.
Tomorrow, this today will be my yesterday instead.
And so it goes for all the days that follow.
Tag Archives: Jenny Erlanger
Am I a Poet? by Jenny Erlanger
Leave a commentAm I a poet?
Today we had to write a poem
and so I took the time
to think of all the words I could
that sound as if they rhyme.
The teacher said, “Don’t worry
finding special words to fit,”
then read us out a funny poem
that didn’t rhyme a bit.
So then I worked at trying to rid
the rhyming from my head,
to concentrate on verse
that didn’t rhyme at all instead.
At first I didn’t have a hope,
the rhymes kept coming back
but I tried really hard
and wrote the poem
you’re reading now,
but somehow
it just doesn’t
sound right.
Jenny Erlanger
Jenny says: Writing rhyming poetry has played such a big part of my life since childhood, that despite my own efforts to break out of the mold at times, I keep returning to it as a means of self-expression.
Behind the Scenes by Jenny Erlanger
Leave a commentBehind the scenes
We cannot see or hear them,
yet we know when each arrives.
We love them, hate or fear them
as we stumble through our lives.
They fire away like crazy
somewhere deep inside our brain.
They prod us when we’re lazy,
get us back on track again.
They don’t ask for permission
from the moment that we wake
to set out on their mission
to control the moves we make.
It may not live an hour
as its life is pretty short
but there’s no denying the power
of a solitary thought.
Jenny Erlanger
Jenny says: I have always been fascinated by the capacity of a seemingly immaterial thought to create physical or emotional responses in human beings.
Magic Making by Jenny Erlanger
Leave a commentMagic Making
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.
Jenny Erlanger
Arrivals and Departures by Jenny Erlanger
Leave a commentArrivals and Departures
You’ll soon be walking through that door.
I can’t stay still a moment more.
I’m racing up and down the floor.
Can’t wait to say hello!
I’m here again with teary eyes
as everybody hugs and cries.
The air is filled with sad goodbyes.
Can’t stand to see you go!
Jenny Erlanger
Favourites by Jenny Erlanger
Leave a commentFavourites
You might like the Crunchie, an excellent pick,
this miniature, choc-coated honeycomb brick
or what about something the colour of cream?
If that’s sounding tempting, then try out the Dream.
There’s Dairy Milk, Picnic and Mint Bubbly too,
all of them sitting here waiting for you.
If fruit mixed with coconut’s what you like best
the Cherry Ripe option is what I’d suggest.
There’s smooth Caramello and crumbling Flake.
It’s not such an easy decision to make.
This might be the last time we’re offered such treats.
You’d better choose wisely from all of these sweets.
But just let me warn you, we don’t want a fight.
So stay right away from that Turkish Delight!
Jenny Erlanger
Raising Parents by Jenny Erlanger
Leave a commentRaising Parents
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!
Jenny Erlanger
Light and Shadow by Jenny Erlanger
Leave a commentLight and shadow
The sun is low behind us
as we contemplate the view,
a vista to remind us
that we’re part of nature too.
We happily surrender
to the grandness of this spot
and know within its splendor
that we’re nothing but a dot.
Our shadows, in defiance,
take a more aggressive stand.
A family of giants
makes its mark upon the land.
Jenny Erlanger
Clearing Cobwebs by Jenny Erlanger
Leave a commentClearing Cobwebs
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.
Jenny Erlanger
Behind the Door by Jenny Erlanger
Leave a commentBehind the Door
I know it sounds a bit absurd
but you should hear what I have heard
about the things that have occurred
inside that stony tomb.
There’s talk of heaps of human bones,
of eerie grunts and squeals and moans,
of blood that oozes from the stones
and ghosts that haunt each room.
They say the spiders down the halls
are all the size of bowling balls
and prone to jumping off the walls
and landing in your hair
Of course, I don’t know this for sure.
It’s time for someone to explore
what really lies beyond that door.
Please enter… if you dare.
Jenny Erlanger
Australian Children’s Poetry 