Tag Archives: Margaret Pearce

George’s New Friend by Margaret Pearce

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GEORGE’S NEW FRIEND

Once upon a time George’s constant moan,

Was ‘I’ve no one to play with, I’m always alone’.

 

No one to play with when flying a kite,

Or building a fort, or having a fight.

 

He scowled at his soldiers, in line by the wall,

With no one to fight, they were no fun at all.

 

He bounced his big red ball on the floor,

With no one to catch it, a terrible bore.

 

His mother took his red ball away,

And told him to go outside to play,

 

Outside in the yard, despite the bright sun,

George yelled that alone was no fun.

 

He kicked his go cart, painted bright red,

‘Needs someone to push it,’ he sulkily said.

 

Suddenly, George with great surprise,

Found a new playmate, just his size.

 

Someone to play chasey, tag and I spy,

To run beside him and jump just as high.

 

So every morning, when the sun is bright,

George’s new friend appears in sight.

 

Happy at last, George tells his Mum,

‘Me and my shadow are having great fun.’

 

© Margaret Pearce

 

 

A Bird Unique by Margaret Pearce

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A BIRD UNIQUE

Hoo hoo hoo, and he haw hay

laughed the Kooka on his way.

 

After him the magpies chased

winging past in reckless haste.

 

What was it that the Kooka heard

to cause the magpies get so stirred?

 

An ornithologist rushed to meet

a magpie walking on two sore feet.

 

‘I’m scared to fly,’ the magpie wailed

‘They laughed at me because I failed.’

 

He then limped on, a bird unique,

an unhappy agoraphobic freak.

 

© Margaret Pearce

A Bunyip Tale by Margaret Pearce

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A Bunyip Tale

 

A schoolboy trudged along one day

late for school but on his way.

 

Dreamily became aware

of the much polluted air.

 

Rotting slime and yukky sludge

tadpole eggs and oozing mud.

 

The smell came from a bunyip near

stalking very quietly in the rear.

 

‘For ages now,’ the bunyip boomed,

‘beneath the mud I’ve been entombed.’

 

‘Freed at last by recent rains

I’m suffering dreadful hunger pains.’

 

‘Although against the usual rule,

I’m very fond of boys from school.’

 

Its jaws opened in a wide green grin,

Drooling at what could be welcomed in.

 

‘Please dine with me,’ it begged at last,

‘And help me break this dreamtime fast.’

 

This offer was declined with haste

the schoolboy lacked the time to waste.

 

Suggested instead some gumtips tender

followed by trees and a broken fender.

 

The bunyip took obedient heed

and peacefully settled down to feed.

 

It ate its way through twenty trees

forty cans and eighty bees.

 

But because it wouldn’t masticate

indigestion was its fate.

 

It moaned and groaned in dreadful pain

and swore never to eat as much again.

 

It writhed and rolled and turned bright green

the sorriest bunyip ever seen.

 

With legitimate excuse for being late,

the schoolboy reached the schoolyard gate.

 

Arrived in class with pleased relief

but faced his teacher’s disbelief.

 

‘The bunyip legend needs no mention

fifty lines and another detention.’

 

But ever after as a definite rule

that schoolboy was in time for school.

 

And always it was his guilty fear

that something stalking in the rear

 

Very vengeful and wide awake

suffering dreadful stomach ache

 

Still hunted for the tender treat

of a tardy schoolboy ripe to eat.

 

Margaret Pearce

 

  • A version of this poem was published  HOUSE OF SPROUTS Vol 1. Issue 3, July 87 and in Prints Rhyming Anthology 2015

 

The Koala and the Crocodile by Margaret Pearce

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The Koala and the Crocodile

 

Ko-Ko Koala was a spoilt little brat.

He wouldn’t eat vegies in case he got fat.

‘Brussel sprouts and cabbage belong in the bin,

Lemonade and fudge keeps me nice and thin.’

 

‘Sad,’ said his friends in tones of sorrow.

‘Our little Koala will end up rather hollow.’

‘Hardly,’ snorted Ko Ko, in tones very rude,

‘Where-ever I roam I eat take-away food.’

 

‘Chicken and chips and hamburgers fried,

And chocolate donuts with cream inside

Taste much better for a Koala about town

Bush food is stodgy,’ he said with a frown.

 

His friends all got very very cross,

Bush food is filling but isn’t very posh.

Then along came a crocodile

Jaws wide open in a hungry smile.

 

The little Koala was suddenly left,

Nobody liked the company he kept.

Ko Ko ordered it to go far away,

But the crocodile was there to stay.

 

‘Bags of chips and popcorn for tea,

Plenty to eat if you dine with me.

If only you would climb down nearer,

Our friendship could be so much dearer.’

 

Ko Ko settled up the tree to wait,

He wouldn’t fall for such tempting bait.

The days went by, he got thin and wan,

Dreaming of take away meals long gone.

 

Ko Ko Koala stayed high off the ground,

Ate lots of gum leaves and grew very round.

The crocodile waited his eyes full of greed,

And renewed his invite to come and feed.

 

‘I’ve cheese and onion on hamburgers fried,

I promise they’ll keep you well satisfied.

There’s pineapple on pav with cream between,

And ice creams with flavours you’ve never seen.’

 

‘A diet of ice cream and potato chips fried,

Will give me tummy ache,’ our Ko Ko replied.

The crocodile sighed and lost his smile,

And decided to slink off home for a while.

 

And this is why the crocodile’s tears of grief

Are at the Koala’s love for the Eucalytus leaf.

And for take away food Ko Ko will never roam.

He finds plenty to eat in his tree top home.

 

© Margaret Pearce,

My Nana’s Bag by Margaret Pearce

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My Nana’s Bag

 

My Nana’s arrival is an exciting sight

As she carries a bag packed extremely tight.

 

She carries her coat and umbrella furled

And the most exciting bag in the world.

 

She stands us in line for our hugs and kisses

And tells us how much she enjoys her visits.

 

After that she opens her bulging bag wide,

And out comes what she has packed inside.

 

First a chocolate cake for afternoon tea,

Liquorice and jelly beans for baby and me.

 

Then two jumpers, one blue and one pink,

One to wash and one to wear she says with a wink.

 

Out come some beads, a ball and two bats,

A doll and a pram and two calico cats.

 

Six pairs of crawlers made from old bedspreads,

And knitted striped beanies for everyone’s heads.

 

There’s a hammer and nails to mend the side fence,

Dad says that’s a gift with plenty of sense.

 

Out comes a scooter and a skippy rope too,

And a most beautiful set of drums, brand new.

 

A bright crocheted rug to go on the bed,

Be lovely and warm, my mother said.

 

After the crayons, paints and a big picture book,

Nanna stopped delving so I had a good look.

 

Five peppermints and a half knitted sock remained

Nanna’s wonderful bag was empty and drained.

 

Nanna stood us in line for more hugs and kisses

And we all said how much we loved her visits.

 

My Nanna took her coat and her umbrella furled,

And left with the emptiest bag in the world.

 

My Nanna’s departure was a very sad sight,

But she’ll be back to baby-sit us Saturday night.

 

 

© Margaret Pearce

 

The Echidna by Margaret Pearce

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The Echidna

 

An echidna passed across a track

heading towards a special snack.

 

A naturalist muttered,‘What a turn!

About this creature, I’ve got to learn.’

 

He kneeled to take a closer look

the echidna swung with strong right hook.

 

And it was such a heavy clout

it nearly knocked the watcher out.

 

The echidna curled into a prickly ball

snarling, ‘I don’t like you at all.’

 

The naturalist cried and mused upon

what it was that he’d done wrong.

 

He only wanted to see first hand

the weirdest creature in the land.

 

The echidna uncurled and stalked away

grumbling at his ruined day.

 

And idiots too dumb to know

you always let echidnas go –

 

About their business digging holes

and eating ants from salad bowls.

 

Or snuffling around a great big mound

Where tasty termites are always found.

 

To spare echnida watchers’ pain,

the moral of this tale is plain.

 

Always remember it’s very rude

to keep echidnas from their food.

 

© Margaret Pearce

My Gran’s Place by Margaret Pearce

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My Gran’s Place

 

My Gran’s place is an unchanging one

And I always visit when horridly glum.

She doesn’t go in for changing trends

Of fashion, hairdo’s or marital friends.

 

Everything’s the same, as long as I’ve known

The clock in the hall, the old fashioned phone.

She opens her door with a welcoming smile

And says ‘Hello love, come in for a while.’

 

Mum’s moved to a flat, small but not cosy,

Door to door concrete, and neighbours nosy.

No bike riding, skateboarding or making a noise

Pets not allowed, and they hate little boys.

 

Sometimes I go to stay with Dad

but after a while I start to feel mad.

A fresh new start, my stepmother said

And threw everything out, even my bed.

 

The kitchen’s never messy with cooking,

Everything’s tidy and modern looking.

The back verandah is now a study,

With nowhere to leave anything muddy.

 

Gran’s furniture’s shabby, and I like it a lot,

A smoking wood stove, and soup in the pot.

The broken down stool in my favourite nook

The bookshelf that has my very first book.

 

An expensive video game sits at home,

But it doesn’t compensate for nights alone.

Dad takes me fishing and for drives galore

(He never acted like this before!)

 

My Gran’s world is warm and friendly,

Nothing there is ever trendy.

I love to visit when feeling blue,

And pretend that my world’s unchanging too.

 © Margaret Pearce

A version of this published one use only HOUSE OF SPROUTS 1988 (O.U.P) A version of this used in POSTIVE WORDS May 2008 issue, one use only

The Echidna by Margaret Pearce

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The Echidna

 

An echidna passed across a track

heading towards a special snack.

 

A naturalist muttered,‘What a turn!

About this creature, I’ve got to learn.’

 

He kneeled to take a closer look

the echidna swung with strong right hook.

 

And it was such a heavy clout

it nearly knocked the watcher out.

 

The echidna curled into a prickly ball

snarling, ‘I don’t like you at all.’

 

The naturalist cried and mused upon

what it was that he’d done wrong.

 

He only wanted to see first hand

the weirdest creature in the land.

 

The echidna uncurled and stalked away

grumbling at his ruined day.

 

And idiots too dumb to know

you always let echidnas go –

 

About their business digging holes

and eating ants from salad bowls.

 

Or snuffling around a great big mound

Where tasty termites are always found.

 

To spare echnida watchers’ pain,

the moral of this tale is plain.

 

Always remember it’s very rude

to keep echidnas from their food.

 

© Margaret Pearce

 

Fear by Margaret Pearce

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Fear

 

I’ve never dreaded witches

Who look such dreadful frights,

Flying over ditches

On dark and windy nights.

 

I never shake if fingers

Touch my face at night,

If of course it lingers

I then turn on the light.

 

I just ignore the bogies

Lurking in the dark,

Packs of fat old fogies

Looking for a lark.

 

If I ever saw a lion

I’d punch him on the nose.

I’ve nerves of steel and iron

As everybody knows.

 

I don’t believe in being scared

I’ve never seen a ghost,

For creepy tales I’ve never cared,

And that’s my favourite boast.

 

I’ve proved that I’m the bravest

Of super heroes still,

So why does that stupid dentist

Still scare me with his drill?

oooOooo

 

© Margaret Pearce

The Echidna by Margaret Pearce

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The Echidna

 

An echidna passed across a track

heading towards a special snack.

 

A naturalist muttered,‘What a turn!

About this creature, I’ve got to learn.’

 

He kneeled to take a closer look

the echidna swung with strong right hook.

 

And it was such a heavy clout

it nearly knocked the watcher out.

 

The echidna curled into a prickly ball

snarling, ‘I don’t like you at all.’

 

The naturalist cried and mused upon

what it was that he’d done wrong.

 

He only wanted to see first hand

the weirdest creature in the land.

 

The echidna uncurled and stalked away

grumbling at his ruined day.

 

And idiots too dumb to know

you always let echidnas go –

 

About their business digging holes

and eating ants from salad bowls.

 

Or snuffling around a great big mound

Where tasty termites are always found.

 

To spare echnida watchers’ pain,

the moral of this tale is plain.

 

Always remember it’s very rude

to keep echidnas from their food.

 

© Margaret Pearce