Tag Archives: poems for children

High Tea by Monty Edwards

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High Tea

 

When pelicans are flying low,

With open beaks they say “Hello”

To any fish they gladly see

That could provide a tasty tea,

For like a furry flippered seal,

They do enjoy a fishy meal.

 

So after taking time to greet,

These hungry birds prepare to eat,

(While under beaks, there hangs a store

For extra, should they want some more).

Then up they rise to sail the sky:

Their beaks too full to say “Goodbye”!

 

Monty Edwards

Monty says: I wanted to get both greetings and goodbyes into a single poem, but the result promised to be rather long. I tried using a short telephone call for content, but wasn’t satisfied with the outcome, so contrived a brief encounter of familiar creatures at the seaside.

Tammy by Bridh Hancock

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Tammy

 

As long as I live will I ever remember

Those bright eyes shining under the table,

Of a black and tan kelpie, who was silently saying:

“Will you be my friend? Can I be yours, too?

 

“Can we be friends?—yes! the best of. And if you

Love me, fun me, feed, and de-flea me,

I’ll guard and care for you, and ever be there,

For you’ll be my friend—yes!—and I’ll be yours, too.”

 

She was my ‘best of…’, and I loved her and kept her

Til, old, deaf and blind, she lay down and died.

Then gone were the walkies, my petting this pal,

But memories, good memories, will ever remain.

 

Memories, dear memories, so near and so dear,

Of a woofity pal who just wanted a friend.

Thanks, Mum, for Tammy, with her bright eyes so shining,

Who sat ’neath the table waiting for me.

Bridh Hancock

Old John and the Rain by Elizabeth Cummings

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Old John and the Rain

I woke last night

And heard the rain

And as I lay there

Listening to the opera

That was the rain

And that the silence filled

A sense of gratitude

In my heart did grow

 

My bones still ached

And my hands so crooked

Stayed clawed and bent

Their toils outside

Were reaping a dividend

Plenty-fold and tonight

As I listen to that welcomed trespasser

I see my reward that awaits come dawn.

 

Sleep came again she did

Upon my weary limbs

My eyes, my mind, my heart

All heavy, so full and overflowing

Of all that life has been

And so dreams did come

And take me back to these blessed moments past

And I was young again

Till I woke at dawn to the sound of rain.

Elizabeth Cummings

Over in the Jungle (Skipping Rhyme) by Rebecca Newman

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OVER IN THE JUNGLE — A SKIPPING  RHYME

Over in the jungle
it’s the monkeys’ time for lunch.
They like to eat bananas,
they eat them by the bunch.

Father likes the yellow ones,
Mother likes the brown,
and Baby likes the green ones
munching upside down!

Rebecca Newman

Rebecca shared this lively skipping rhyme on her website early this year. She wrote it in celebration of the Chinese Year of the Monkey. Here’s the link: https://rebeccanewman.net.au/2016/02/08/a-monkey-skipping-rhyme/
Rebecca says: I really loved skipping rhymes as a child, and I loved the skipping part too, especially in a big crowd with two people turning the rope.

Winter: A Child’s Guide by Monty Edwards

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Winter: A Child’s Guide

When the wind howls through the trees;

When you fear your feet will freeze;

When dark clouds obscure the sun;

Know that winter has begun.

 

Now’ s the time the days seem short;

Now a cold can soon be caught;

Now more frequent rain will fall;

It’s just winter  – that is all.

 

Thunderstorms may come and go;

On high mountains there’ll be snow;

Frost may form upon the grass:

This is winter. It will pass.

 

Winter’s time for active play.

Grab your gear without delay!

Put your boots on! Join your team!

Soon much warmer it will seem!

 

If you’d rather play inside,

Indoor games wait to be tried.

With your family or a friend,

Boredom soon will quickly end.

 

Start a hobby and collect.

Fix a toy that someone wrecked.

Solve a puzzle. Draw or paint.

Clean your room. Your Mum will faint!

 

Drink hot chocolate by the fire.

Read an author you admire.

Whether you’re a girl or boy,

Don’t miss out on winter joy!

Monty Edwards

Monty Said: My aim in the poem was to help children think positively about winter, since despite its drawbacks and discomforts, these are temporary and the season still offers many opportunities for real enjoyment.

Family by Sioban Timmer

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There is a special place in our hearts and souls

That can only be filled by someone

who instinctively understands us,

Loves us unconditionally,

Is never demanding of our love and attention

But is always grateful for it.

That’s why pets are family.

Sioban Timmer

Sioban says: This piece was written for a friend after their dog died. Pets especially dogs are so the ultimate carers, they bring so much to our lives and expect so little in return. Cats on the other hand…..

I Am a Dancer! by Meredith Costain

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Ballerina poem

 

Humpty Dumpty by Katherine Gallagher

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Humpty Dumpty

 

Humpty Dumpty

jumped in the sea.

 

Humpty Dumpty

sank instantly.

 

All the young mermaids

and their mermen

 

couldn’t get Humpty

to surface again.

Katherine Gallagher

Katherine says: I like the note of  panic hinted at in your #26 prompt. It reminded me of my poem ‘’Humpty Dumpty’ which is jokey,  a  cry for help in a sense,  but very  tongue-in-cheek. I’ve enjoyed some sessions with children in which we tried to put a new slant on nursery-rhymes.

Wrecked by Dianne Bates

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Wrecked

 

Wake late

Nothing clean

Wear yesterday’s undies

Crushed uniform

Sister’s socks

She screams at me

Mum screams at me

We scream at one another

We’re running late

Jammed in bumper-to-bumper traffic

Kiss Mum goodbye, no way

Across the empty playground

Running, I drop

The paper Mache dinosaur

That took four hours

Last night

Of hard, hard work

My project

Now it’s crushed, like me

Late for assembly

Everyone stares

Teachers’ eyebrows are raised

And classes haven’t even begun.

© Dianne Bates

Published in Our Home is Girt by Sea

Winter Picnic by Monty Edwards

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Winter Picnic

 

One picnic with my family I would rather now forget,

Since it started with a thunderstorm that left us very wet.

We ran like rabbits to the car and tried to eat our lunch,

But our sandwiches were soggy and our biscuits lacked their crunch.

 

We aimed to keep the rain out so we wound the windows up,

But that just made them foggy. Then I dropped my half-full cup!

My parents weren’t too pleased with me as anyone could tell

And then the baby filled the car with a most awful smell!

 

At last we saw the rain had stopped, so quickly we got out.

Mum changed the baby’s nappy. It was then Dad gave a shout.

“Oh no, we’ve run over a nail!” He’d found a tyre was flat.

So we weren’t going anywhere till he had dealt with that.

 

While Dad was working on the wheel, I got my brand new ball.

I kicked it high into a tree, but it refused to fall!

So then I said: “I’ll climb the tree and shake the football down.”

But Mum said: “You’ll do no such thing” and stopped me with a frown.

 

I didn’t want to lose the ball, but what would you have done?

It looked as if I’d have to save to buy another one.

Just then a teenage boy came by. He said: “Leave it to me.”

At once he climbed up to the branch and shook the football free!

 

I tried to catch it as it fell, but Mum caught it instead.

She didn’t catch it in her hands. It landed on her head!

I thought it wasn’t wise to laugh in case she was upset.

She’d told me not to bring the ball. I hoped that she’d forget.

 

When finally Dad changed the tyre, he said: “It’s time to go.

Those heavy clouds are coming back. The journey will be slow.”

I moaned: “An hour here’s not enough. We need some time to play!”

But Mum declared: “Your Dad is right. Let’s come another day.”

 

Although this time our picnic didn’t seem much fun at all,

We did arrive home safely and I still had my new ball.

The baby now is chuckling and we’re by the fire and warm.

It still was an adventure, even with the winter storm.

 Monty Edwards

Monty says: Some picnics are memorable for the wrong reasons, but even if not exactly enjoyable they can still supply some interesting and humorous experiences.