It hardly rains
but when it pours
on sleepy desert ground
the speedy changes
to the land
will certainly astound.
A dried-up creek
now overflows
expanding to a lake.
And dormant life-forms
eggs and seeds
immediately awake.
The dry red dirt
transforms into
a carpet made of flowers.
And tiny creatures
start to hatch
within a few short hours.
With decorations
all in place
the waterbirds arrive.
Providing
lots of music.
Now the party’s come alive!
First Published in CSIRO’s Scientriffic #66 2009
I’m a smart and stylish raincoat
Ruby red with stripes inside.
I’ve many secret pockets where
Your precious things can hide.
I’ve lots of zippers, long and short,
And studs that pop and click.
My velcro makes you tug-of-war,
So strongly does it stick.
My hood fits snugly round your face–
Just pull the drawstring please.
You won’t get cold if you pick me:
I block the stiffest breeze.
Oh no, don’t bother with the blue,
Its colour is quite pale.
And do you think those buttons
Would withstand a howling gale?
Besides the fun you’ll have with me,
I’ll keep you warm and dry.
You’ll have to search the UNIVERSE
To find a better buy.
Oh well, it seems it’s not my day.
Your mum is hardly keen.
She says blue coat might be the nicest
One she’s ever seen.
Then, suddenly, you shake your head
Insisting I’m for you,
And soon we’re heading out the door…
You, me and blue coat too!
Photo by Vecteezy
I can’t go out to play today,
it’s raining very hard.
And it rained the day before as well
and flooded my backyard.
My shoes are wet,
my socks are soaked,
my boots are green with mould —
I wonder how much water
this world of ours can hold?
Photo by Pixabay
The rain is dancing down the street,
across the park and up the lane.
It’s teeming where I stand to meet
the clickety-clackety morning train.
The rain is hammering on the rooves
and causing such a fuss.
It’s drenching where I stand to meet
the braking quaking bus.
The rain is splashing on the ground
creating puddles deep.
To get to where I need to be
I’ve got to hop and leap.
The rain is filling all the creeks.
The gutters run with foam.
It’s wet day lunch at school today,
I think I’ll just stay home.
HOLIDAY RAIN
Rain’s back,
down it comes,
and now we’ve all got the glums.
Nothing to do, nothing at all,
just sit around and watch it fall.
Might as well be back at school –
NOT!
CRITTER JITTERS
My critter’s got the jitters
and he jives around like mad.
He’s made of wire, you wind him up
and he kind of makes you glad.
With crazy jerks and twirling twerks
he skitters round and round.
His clockwork heart winds quickly down
and makes a whirring sound.
But just last week I heard a squeak.
and before I even wound him,
my critter jittered out the door
and I never ever found him.
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.
At Gran’s I have an awesome time
but when it rains and pours
I’d love to go and splash outside
and Gran keeps me indoors
‘Some kinds of rain don’t bother me’
says Grandma when I mope
‘Not every downpour spoils my day
umbrellas help me cope’
‘But there’s one kind of rain I hate
when I’ve forgot my ’brolly
and if get caught out in it
it makes me mad, by golly’
‘Gran, what’s this rain that gets your goat
and makes your humour fail
could it be the driving drops
that come before the hail?’
‘No that’s not it, I don’t mind those’
Gran answers with a frown
‘I don’t mind hail or sleet or snow
they never get me down’
‘So what?’ I ask, ‘What rain is this
that makes your undies twist?’
‘You really want to know?’ asks Gran
‘I’ll tell, since you insist’
‘The rain I hate and deeply loathe
is drizzle, feather-light
It soaks me so, I’ll catch my death
don’t laugh dear, I just might!’
‘But Gran,’ I say, ‘it’s drizzling now
please come outside with me
Put on your gumboots, coat and hat
we’ll have a ball, you’ll see!’
I splished and sploshed and mucked about
Gran laughed and joined in too
Then Gran said, ‘Well, that wasn’t bad’
and I said,
‘AR
-TI
-SHOO!’
Australian Children’s Poetry 