?
What
would I do
without you
at Christmas?
Mum and Dad
love me so much;
Grandpa and Gran,
the best in the world;
my brothers and sisters;
uncles and aunts always
keep in touch; and there’s
all my friends and my pets.
No one has a family as loving
as mine, so that’s why I wonder
what
would
I do
without
you?
An infinity of questions
To ignite imaginations
To wonder
How and what and why
And where it all began
First observations
Then explorations
Sought answers
To these central questions
Posed by curiosity
Behold –
A single singularity
Big bang!
That’s where it all began
From one united infinity
Now diverse plurality
A myriad variety
Evolving
Throughout history
A complicated tapestry
Including all
The large and small
Everything and
You and me
Questing for elucidation
Clearing any obfuscation
Defying myths
And superstition
Disproving pseudo- explanations
Based on weak interrogation
Of the vast enormity
Of the universe miscellany
Engaging disputation
Sparks
Research investigation
Inspires ingenuity
Seeks understanding, clarity
Until with evidence
Reveals
The mysteries no longer sealed
No longer fraught with
Trepidation due to
Ignorant misperception
For Science and discovery
Unveils what is
For all to see
Five
four
three two wonder.
Count down to question, speculate, think.
Imagine and ponder, let your mind wander
down winding pathways right to the brink.
Over the edge is the not knowing dark
but out there you’ll find
the spark!
the spark!
Submitted in response to Poetry Prompt #17
Penny said: I am teaching a unit on space at the moment and indeed pondering on how much we don’t know and how we have to be brave and imaginative enough to spend time in the ‘not knowing’ to make new discoveries.
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 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!
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 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.”
The comma never stands alone,
It’s carefully aligned
with words on either side of it
that keep it well confined.
The exclamation mark stands tall,
a rigid, lofty stake.
So confident, so self-assured,
it has a point to make.
The full stop leads an easy life,
indeed, a life in clover.
What lies ahead’s of no concern,
what lies behind is over.
But spare a thought for question marks,
hunch-backed and somewhat hollow.
Are they perhaps concerned about
the answers that may follow?
Jenny Erlanger
Australian Children’s Poetry 