Tag Archives: James Aitchison

A Chat With An Orangutan: an experimental poem by James Aitchison

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“Hello, kid,” the orangutan said.
“You look very familiar.”

“That’s because,” the young boy said,
“We’re both very similar.”

“But I don’t live in a house, boy,”
The wise orangutan said.

“It doesn’t matter,” the young boy said,
“Where you lay your head…

“The fact is, you and I are friends
“From way back deep in time.”

“If that is so,” the orangutan said,
“Put your hand in mine.”

Teacher’s note: In Bahasa (Indonesian and Malay languages), orang means “man” or “person”, while utan means “jungle”. Thus, the orangutan is a man of the forest. Many experts now believe that the orangutan — not the chimpanzee — is closest to humans in traits and characteristics.

My Hidden House by James Aitchison

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I have a hidden house

in a garden full of flowers,

and I love to sit in silence

and gaze at it for hours.

The little house was built

in the Gold Rush so I’m told,

but for me it is a treasure

worth more than any gold.

Teacher’s note: This miner’s cottage, built in 1860, is typical of many homes built in the 
Ballarat, Creswick and Clunes district during the Victorian Gold Rush.

The Antarctic Beech by James Aitchison

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I wandered in a forest deep

and found this ancient tree.

Two thousand years it’s grown here;

lots more it well might see.

They said it’s called a Beech,

born in forests long ago,

before Antarctica 

had turned to ice and snow.

Teacher’s note: Lamington and Springbrook National Parks are located on the Scenic Rim of the Gold Coast hinterland.  Two hundred and twenty-five million years ago, the continents of South America, Africa, Australia and Antarctica, along with India, New Zealand, Madagascar and Arabia made up a single land mass called Gondwana.  When Gondwana broke up 120 million years ago, Australia remained attached to Antarctica. Seventy million years ago, when Antarctica was covered with rainforests, Australia separated and moved north. This Antarctic Beech has survived to this day. Sadly much of the ancient rainforest was lost to logging in the 19th Century.

Message from Mr. Ostrich by James Aitchison

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“It’s wrong!  It’s wrong!”

the ostrich said.

“I never, never

bury my head!

If I did

how could I see?

You mustn’t believe

such things about me.”

Teacher’s note: Ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand.  When trouble approaches, they lie low and press their long necks to the ground.  Mostly, ostriches escape danger by running at up to 72 km/h.  The world’s heaviest bird, they are also the world’s largest, fastest flightless bird, capable of killing predators such as lions and humans with a kick.

Goose On The Loose by James Aitchison

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Hey, hey, the goose got away,

down the street

on its two webbed feet!

“Honk, honk! Out of my way

I want to do my shopping today!”

(Teacher’s note: Apart from flock, what other collective nouns apply to geese? It all depends where they are.  Geese on the ground are a gaggle, or if they are flying, a skein, a trip or a team.  If flying in formation, they’re a wedge.  Geese flying close together are a plump.  Some other choices: a chevron, a nide, a lag, a sord, and the poet’s favourite, a christmas of geese!)