Out in the wilds
the daylight is dying;
the darklight is coming,
and the wind is a-sighing.
Shadows will deepen,
grow darker and soon,
with the quiet starlight,
will come the moon.
The pastures will sleep
and not waken till morn,
when at last the sun rises
and a new day is born.
North Island, New Zealand. Photo by Ginette Pestana
Since dawn the sky was low,
no glimpse of you allowed;
now I see you clearly,
rising through the cloud.
Brave ones dare to climb you,
facing terrors all the way;
but I’m no mountaineer,
down here I will stay!
Teacher’s note: Mount Cook — Aoraki (its Maori name) — is New Zealand’s highest mountain.
In 2014, its height was given as 3,724 metres.
Photo by Ginette Pestana
You’re never the same
from one day to the next,
and nobody knows
quite what to expect.
I’m told that you move
four metres a day,
and that’s very fast
for glaciers, they say.
And if I stayed overnight,
I could hear you speak,
as your ice groans and shifts
around every peak.
Teacher’s note: New Zealand’s Franz Joseph Glacier is unique for its steepness and speed. It stretches from a height of 3,000 metres down to 240 metres in less than 11 kilometres. It can shift up to four metres a day; most glaciers travel one metre a day. People camped on its slopes report hearing the glacier “groan” as it moves. At its base is a rainforest!
Photo by Ginette Pestana
That seal in New Zealand
Decided to stay
All the others seals
they went away
Time to migrate
And swim a long lap
That seal in New Zealand
Took a long nap
That seal in New Zealand
Marina full of sun
Thought an extended stay
Was better fun
No sharing of fish
All wharf space she owns
That seal in New Zealand
Has found a new home
She’s now very famous
On the news worldwide
That seal in New Zealand
Takes it all in her stride
Smiling and grunting
A bit of a flap
That seal in New Zealand
Got a very good rap
She rolled for the camera
300 kilos of lard
A grin for the lens
Isn’t too hard
Named “Owha” by locals
She has stayed a year
Missing her friends
No! Not a tear
That seal in New Zealand
Intends to stay
Loves her new country
In the sun she will lay
Jeanie said: I saw on the news a story about a seal who has stayed on at The Auckland’s Marina in New Zealand instead of migrating. I thought it a fun topic for a Seal poem.
Australian Children’s Poetry 