Tag Archives: poems for children

Poem of the Day

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Rosella’s Dilemma

 

At five-to-eleven Rosella flew in

to a magical garden where time stands still.

With five giant statues of fairy-tale folk

and two silver fountains that sang and then spoke.

 

Eleven big books that could read for themselves

surrounded by flowers and mischievous elves.

Eleven days later he flew out again

and found that the time was exactly the same.

 

“Still ten fifty-five?” he said with a grin

“In that case, I may as well do it again!”

 

Celia Berrell
  • Submitted in response to Poetry Prompt #21

Celia said: Your photo looks like a place where time stands still … At the moment, there doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day for all the things that need to be done.  Having somewhere beautiful to go, where time stands still, sounds like a fantastic solution.  I’m imagining it right now.

Poem of the Day

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The Spell

 

Four metres tall

or possibly five metres!

It stares at us

with one red eye

as we approach.

 

We pause,

held by its gaze,

not daring to move forward;

not wanting to retreat.

 

People join us,

but they go no further than we

as if hypnotised

by that same red eye.

 

Click, click, click . . .

 

Suddenly, the red eye disappears

and we are free

to go safely

across the busy road.

 

The little green man

has broken the spell!

 

Monty Edwards
  •  Submitted in response to Poetry Prompt #13

Monty says: “The prompt had me thinking of traffic lights, which seemed very mundane for a simple rhyme, so I felt I’d recast it to inject some drama using a bit of imagery and free verse.”

Poem of the Day

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RIVER

 

Running to school one cold wet day

Into dreams of escape and running away

Visiting islands full of sea and sun

Enjoying swimming and lots of fun

Returned to reality dark and grey.

 

Required homework not done yet

Idiot me never a teacher’s pet

Very hard to get past this disaster

Explaining why I can’t work faster

Rewriting forever the homework set.

 

Margaret Pearce

 

  • Submitted in response to Poetry Prompt #19

Poem of the Day

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GATEWAY

 

This portal

speaks to me of Narnia:

the last book, the last battle.

 

Long before Dr Who,

C.S. Lewis knew, we knew

of the stable bigger on the inside;

 

though that door was rough and wooden,

a portal can disguise itself

as a gate in a lichened stone wall.

 

But enter at your peril.

The Irish faery folk haunt castles

and barrows, and mortal souls

 

can wander their land for a day; returning

to find it is seven years or seventy.

And Narnia was a faery place.

 

Look, admire, beware; walk through –

only if you desire to be bewitched,

craving the adventure of your life.

 

Jaz Stutley

 

  • Submitted in response to Poetry Prompt #21

Poem of the Day

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Phineas McGonagall

Phineas McGonagall was very strange indeed,

For the manner of his feeding and for where he kept his feed.

Upon his head, he wore a wig of lamington and cheese.

His beard was full of ‘little boys’ that dangled to his knees.

Among his friends I must say there were many most disgusted:

And so would you be if you knew just where he kept his custard.

To critics Phiny simply smiled and said, ‘Now look here sonny!’

Stamped a dusty boot from which erupted blue gum honey.

‘With a narnie in me pocket and some damper in me daks,

I’m never short of tucker as I tred life’s sandy tracks.

From Alice Springs to Zanthus I have never ‘ad the munchies.

-Thanks mostly to me grundies where I keep a stash of crunchies!-

And I betcha when I cark it and am carried out feet first,

The tinnies in me pocket slake the undertaker’s thirst!’

Alys Jackson

 

  • Alys is a regular contributor to The School Magazine and has just won the 2017 Award for Poetry at the Henry Lawson Festival of Arts. 

Poem of the Day

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River Run

 

Run river run:

sIlver over stones

riVer sobs and moans;

briEf gleam in the sun:

riveR run and run.

 

 

Run River run

rapId to the seas;

riVer leap with ease,

tEasing just for fun:

River run and run.

Jaz Stutley

 

  • Submitted in response to Poetry Prompt #19

 

 

Poem of the Day

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Why  

 

“Why?” as a child is a popular word.

It shows that we want to know more of our world.

And sometimes we learn

some incredible things:

 

Like why the sky’s blue

and what is a gnu

and how you can catch

the measles and ‘flu.

And back in the past

how much harder life was

because of the things

that nobody knew.

 

It’s part of our nature to want to know why

despite that the answer’s a truth or a lie.

And sometimes we learn

some incredible myths:

 

Like why Santa comes

only once a year.

And when will the Easter

Bunny appear.

Descriptions of monsters

that cause us great fear.

And how crystal balls

make everything clear.

 

While we’re a child, all answers seem true

(until we get older and think them all through).

But even as adults we frequently find

it’s not always easy to change our mind!

 

Celia Berrell
  • Submitted in response to Poetry Prompt #17

Celia said: Got a question?  Nowadays we can look for answers on the internet any time 24/7.  But how can we tell if the information we find there is true or false?  That’s another question!

Poem of the Day

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Question Time

 

I have a younger brother,

Who recently turned four.

He asks Mum many questions

And then he asks some more.

I tried to ask our mother

Why he kept asking “Why?”

The answer that she gave me

Was one enormous sigh.

 

She then breathed in quite deeply

And started to explain

How asking all those questions

Was strengthening his brain.

For as we all get older

And use our ears and eyes,

Our questions bring us answers:

The “Why?”s help make us wise.

 

Monty Edwards
  •  Submitted in response to Poetry Prompt #17

Monty says: “The numerous question marks of the prompt made me think of the many questions asked by young children that may test a parent’s patience, but are an essential part of a child’s development.”

Poem of the Day

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The dog went out in the sunshine

And soaked up all the rays

It looked up into the sky

And barked ” What a beautiful day”

 

The cat went out in the sunshine

And pranced around a bit

Turned around and went inside

In the window sill to sit

 

The dog stayed out in the sunshine

In circles chasing his tail

He was not going back inside

Sun rain or hail

 

The cat stayed in the window sill

Watching the world go by

Grinning at the silly dog

A scratch a lick a sigh

  Jeanie Axton
  • Submitted in response to Poetry Prompt #15

Poem of the Day

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Sunshine in the lounge room

 

You are my sunshine

 

The player piano

gave me the words

there on the roll

 

My only sunshine

 

I pushed the pedals

and sang at the top

of my voice

 

You make me happy

 

And I was happy

there in the lounge room

with no sunshine at all

 

When skies are grey

 

skies might have been blue

or grey with rain

But the piano played for me

 

Please don’t take my sunshine away

 

Virginia Lowe
  • Submitted in response to Poetry Prompt #15

Virginia said: I can’t hear the word without (mentally) singing the song, which I learned in childhood, just as the poem says.