I had a little robot
and it was very smart.
It could tell me anything
but it didn’t have a heart.
Below are a few links that may be of interest if you’re looking to find out more about Artificial Intelligence.
The Shetland Pony by James Aitchison
Leave a commentI’d love a Shetland pony,
not too high but low.
What a gentle ride he’d be,
not too fast but slow.
I’d love a Shetland pony,
the colour of a bear.
But how does he see where to go
through all that long, long hair?
(Teacher’s note: Shetland ponies originated in the Shetland Isles, located northeast of mainland Scotland. They are very hardy and have survived the harsh Shetland climate since the Bronze Age.)
Decoding Tree-rings by Celia Berrell
Leave a commentCutting through tree-trunks
from bark to bark,
we’ll see lots of circles
in light-wood and dark.
Light-coloured bands
mostly grow summer-spring
while autumn to winter
grows thin, darker rings.
Tree-rings grow wide
when it’s wetter and hot,
but tend to grow narrow
whenever it’s not.
Decoding these bands
in an ancient tree
can tell us the climate
historically!
First published in Double Helix (Oct 2021)
Reproduced with permission of CSIRO Double Helix
Three Fat Pigeons by Jeanie Axton
Leave a commentThree fat pigeons
looking very needy,
waddled around a bakery
in central Coober Pedy.
Pecking at the crumbs
with not a worry in sight,
these three fat pigeons
have given up their flight.
An interesting read about the pigeons who didn’t give up their flight! https://amp.abc.net.au/article/101543770
Tree Hugging by James Aitchison
Leave a commentHold me, hold me, hold me tight,
I get frightened in the night
by those birds and possums too,
I feel safe when I’m with you!
In My Dreams: a nonsense poem by James Aitchison
Leave a commentWhen I go to sleep at night,
I dream of lots of things.
Blue spaghetti and bowls of fruit,
A four-legged man playing a flute,
A buffalo with purple wings,
A refrigerator taking flight.
That’s why I like to stay awake
And think of triple-layered cake.
I Found A Whale by James Aitchison
Leave a comment(in response to Prompt #4)
I found a whale
made of stone,
sitting by the creek
all alone.
How it got there
I don’t know;
stuck on shore,
nowhere to go.
Teacher’s note: Whale Rock is one of many rock formations at Wilson’s Promontory National Park.
Our Garbage Man by James Aitchison
Leave a commentOur garbage man comes once a week
To empty out our bin,
He takes away everything
That Mum and Dad put in.
I wonder if he looks inside
To see what we’ve thrown out.
(All my worn out underpants
Would make him scream and shout!)
All our rotten vegies,
All our stinky cheese,
All the food that has expired,
Travels on the breeze.
No wonder he speeds off each week,
He doesn’t hang around.
With so much putrid garbage,
His wheels don’t touch the ground!
The Surging Tide by Jacinta Lou
Leave a comment(in response to Prompt #4)
In the sea live many ghosts
Of pirates, convicts and more.
Lost sunken treasure.
The remnants of war.
In my yard are fossils
Where the sea used to be,
Billions of years ago
Before there was me.
The sea is claiming back the land
On islands, it’s a disaster.
The billion year shift of tides
Is coming. It’s coming even faster.
It’s speeding up as the globe heats up
Is that about how we live?
To slow it down do we need to change
How we live, what we take, what we give?
Give back to the sea by keeping it clean
Of plastics, oil and junk.
Keep the land cool by reusing more
Or one day the land will be sunk.
The tide is turning.
Little Red Riding Hood by Jenny Erlanger
Leave a commentHer problems started long before
the poor child was pursued
by that conniving carnivore
who treated her as food.
Yes, long before she crossed that wood
to drop in on her nan,
and long before she wore a hood
her troubles all began.
How mortified she must have felt,
and I’d have felt the same,
at having heartlessly been dealt
with such a stupid name.