Tag Archives: poems for children

Devilish Billy Joe by Toni Newell

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Billy Joe is my best friend
Wears a collar, has four legs,
Follows me consistently
If there’s food he often begs.
We live in leafy Doncaster
In a small two-bedroom home
And because I have to work a lot
Billy Joe’s often left alone.
Whilst I’m away at the office
He has the run of the house
And often creates havoc
He’s not as quiet as a mouse.
The neighbours are not happy
When he barks and carries on
But there’s very little I can do
When working on the phone.
His devilish disposition
Gets him into lots of strife
By causing so much damage
Which he’s done all his short life.
So how can I fix this problem
I ask with nought in mind
What can I do to stop him
And a happy solution find.
But then I think of something
Should I find him a friend
Which would keep him occupied
And his destructiveness end.

I put my masterplan in action
Bring home Archer, a puppy
It appears that what I’ve done
Has made Billy Joe very happy.
They seem to get along quite well
And spend their time in play
Until they’re both exhausted
Crash on the couch and stay.
Archer has become
Billy Joe’s best friend
Bringing him home has been
A victory to this end.

Devilish Billy Joe by Toni Newell

Image by Pixabay

Leaf Litter by Michael Buckingham Gray

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I crunch on a leaf

that spiralled from a tree

that somersaulted down the street

that slept in a doorway

that heard the honks of traffic

that was swept away by a shopkeeper

that was picked up by a woman in a wheelchair

that was passed to a young man with pimples

that he dropped

at my feet

Leaf Litter by Michael Buckingham Gray

Photo of leaf. Taken by Michael Buckingham Gray

Aquarium Staring by Tamara Seselja

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Look at these creatures from deep in the sea
with tentacles, scales and slippery skin.

Are they staring at me?

Observing our species, our children are mesmerised
as they swim and glide through a salt-water tide.

Do they want to eat me?

They’ve put on a show, so they like what we do
creating this space of connection.

It looks like they love to be watched!

Aquarium Staring by Tamara Seselja

Inspired by March Picture Prompt

AQUARIUM by Kaushani Mufti

The Sea by Jeanette Swan

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The wide sea swells with muscular power:

surges under thundering clouds.

Waves

in chaos

rush and tower,

careless of steepness,

smash

in whirls of foam,

slam

on slabs of rock.

Until

tiring,

sighing.

Rays of sunlight

slice a shredded grey sky,

sparkling silver sequins twinkle

on her scaly skin,

and the ocean lies still.

Vast and deep is the mighty sea that roars.

Yet, at curving edges, surfers ride waves,

landing softly on sandy shores.

Sleeping under an afternoon haze,

the sea stretches out between headlands:

a salty green ocean 

beneath the sky’s hot breath.

A toddler with his mother is paddling in the shallows,

where little ripples run up the beach now the storms are gone.

The Sea by Jeanette Swan

Image from Pixabay

Hungry cockatoos by James Aitchison

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Cockatoos eat with their left leg,

their right hangs on to their perch.

They gobble and chew so neatly

without a sideways lurch.

You’ll see them up on the fence,

having a tasty lunch,

feeding themselves an apple,

never missing a single crunch.

Hungry cockatoos by James Aitchison

Hungry cockatoos. Photo by Philip Webster

Where will we go today? by James Aitchison

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A soft misty sunrise,

adventure’s in the air,

let’s raise the sails and go

while the weather’s fair.

There’s so much to explore —

where will we go today?

For lunch let’s drop anchor

in a quiet bay.

And in the afternoon,

on the glassy tide,

we’ll try our hand at fishing,

as homeward bound we glide.

Where will we go today? by James Aitchison

Sunrise at Picton, South Island, New Zealand. Photo by Ginette Pestana

Give the Birds a Rap by Erica Chester

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A group of eagles is a convocation

And a group of starlings, a murmuration

Ibises cheer in a congregation 

Then bin dive with great elation

Kingfishers live in concentration

Whilst peacocks strut in an ostentation

Larks fly and sing in exaltation

An emu from the mob represents our nation 

Kookaburras laugh in a raucous riot

Pods of pelicans glide in the quiet

A siege of herons (on a strict fish diet)

Duck and dive and bathe in private

Seagulls bicker in a squawking squabble

A gaggle of gregarious turkeys like to gobble 

Sparrows gather in what’s called a quarrel

A waddle of penguins can sometimes wobble

A tiding of magpies warbles all the time

Tiny little fairywrens make a chime

A murder of crows isn’t always a crime

A ballet of swans: graceful in their prime

Give the Birds a Rap by Erica Chester

Image from Pixabay