It’s Earth Day on April 22nd so let’s celebrate by writing about this amazing planet we call home. There are also several bush poet festivals in April so if you fancy yourself a Banjo Patterson send your bush poems in!
Please send all poems to ozchildrenspoetry@gmail.com
It’s Springtime so with this new prompt we are welcoming anything to do with this time of year – flowers, weather, swooping birds (there are LOTS in my neighborhood!), the spring in your step or anything that reminds us of this season of renewal. Looking forward to receiving some fresh and colourful new poems from wherever you are!
Send your poems to ozchildrenspoetry@gmail.com
THE PLASTIC PACIFIC
How much plastic is in the sea?
Fifty-one trillion pieces!
Fifty-one trillion ways to kill
all our ocean species.
Choking, snarling, killingwhales, turtles, and fish;
unless we stop dumping toxic trash
our oceans will diminish.
OTTER SNOT
Does
an otter
have snot
or not?
Whether or not
an otter has
snot,
I know
not.
How can one describe them?
Thousands of little bays.
We’re on the Royal Mail boat.
It only runs two days.
Little coves with just one house,
they must love this isolation.
The boat drops in to leave them goods,
like a train at every station.
Rugged hills with ferns to cover,
I wonder how folk live.
Plenty of fish and wildlife
They’re hardy to survive.
This way of life is not for me,
I cannot live on just beauty,
without the comforts of my place.
I need to see a friendly face.
(In response to prompt #2 What’s Outside Your Window?)
A polar bear waved to me
and called a loud “hello”,
as he floated past eating fish
on a jolly big ice floe.
Penguins flapped their flippers,
a humpback slapped its tail,
and I waved back with all my might
as onward I did sail…
(In response to the Winter Waves prompt)
CAR SICK
Green
Our fast green car
Green world
Stomach churning
Head spinning
Spinning
The world turning
Upside down
Downside up
Around and around
Wheels rolling
Streets passing
Blurred buildings
Blurred faces
Blur blur blur
Ur…
Dad, stop!
I’m going to throw …
Too late.
© Dianne Bates
Warm And Fluffy
The animals have hairy fur.
The birds have got their feathers.
These keep their bodies warm enough
throughout the chilly weather.
The fibres in those fluffy coats
criss-cross to form some air-holes
that can’t escape or waft away
because of all the hair-folds.
Their skin gives off some body-warmth.
Just like a radiator.
Their fluffy coats help keep that heat
as thermal insulators.
The warm air’s trapped inside the fur
to shield them from the outside.
The way that blankets on a bed
are cosy on the inside.
But if that fluffy coat gets wet
those air-holes fill with water.
Their body’s warmth escapes as that
wet coat’s a heat conductor.
The soggy fur clings to their skin.
No longer insulated.
And water makes their body cold
as it’s evaporated.
Any fluffy animal will
shake that water well away.
So if your puppy’s had a swim …
Watch-out for all that water spray!
When it comes to having a fluffy coat, it’s a good idea to shaking off any water, so as not to get cold. Dogs are the best shakers! I love the sound of their lips and soggy ears slapping their head as they do it.
by Celia Berrell
This week’s prompt is “Chickens”
A few ideas:
Looking forward to your contributions.
Please send to: poemoftheday.jaxton@gmail.com
This week’s quote to ponder on:
“With me poetry has not been a purpose, but a passion”
Edgar Allan Poe
(An American writer 1809-1849)
Hi everyone, here’s a visual prompt for you this week. What does the image suggest to you? Think yourself back to childhood and let your imagination roam freely. This is my final Poetry Prompt as I hand over to Jeanie Axton, who has generously offered to look after this site. A big thank you to everyone who’s been submitting regularly. I’ve enjoyed reading your poems and connecting with you during the past few years. Please keep your contributions coming in. Send poems to Jeanie at poemoftheday.jaxton@gmail.com as a Word or Text file attachment and add a few lines about your writing process.
Happy writing!
Teena
Get set to create! It’s poetry prompt time. Monday certainly comes round fast, doesn’t it? I received a great response to last week’s I Wish prompt. What will you come up with in response to this? I’m sure it will inspire some wonderful poems. Don’t forget, if you’ve missed a prompt you can always catch up.
Please email your poems to me at teenawriter@gmail.com as a Word or Text file attachment and add a line or two about your writing process.
Happy writing!
Teena
Australian Children’s Poetry 