Favourite Book

In not such good health

I rest on the shelf

My pages discoloured and cream

You know me so well

A story to tell

That dazzles and dances in dreams


When my life began

You were huge a fan

My cover, bright, shiny and new

Time pushed us apart

Still, I'm in your heart

You can't erase what we've been through


Now if you’re in need

Just have one more read

Please open me up, take a look

From intro to end

A fine faithful friend

Forever your favourite book

How Long is a Poem?

It can be:

As long as a child’s widest smile

As long as the teeth on a crocodile

As long as the Eiffel Tower is tall

As long as your nose (and that’s not long at all)

As long as my sister’s ponytail

As long as a snail’s slimy trail

As long as a queue at a bus stop

As long as a sausage from the butcher’s shop

As long as a hundred anaconda snakes

‘Cos a poem can be as long as it…

As long as it…

As long as it…

As long as it…

Takes

Break

You can break your silence

Let it all out

Yell and holler! Scream and shout!

You can break a promise

Break your duck

Break any mirror and you'll get bad luck

You can break some bread

For lunch or a snack

A straw can break the camel's back

You can break dance

If you're athletic and agile

Break cups and plates

As they're very fragile


You can break a window

Break into a sweat

To break the sound barrier

Fly a supersonic jet

You can break a code

If you're super smart

But please, please, please

Don't ever break my heart


Stop!

You can't have:

A drip without a drop

A plip without a plop

A rabbit without a hop

Karate without a chop

A fizz without a pop

A flip without a flop

A bottom without a top

A city without a shop

A cleaner without a mop

An exchange without a swap

A surgeon without an op

A skinhead without a crop

A police car without a cop

Or a start without a...STOP!

Sleepy Dog

Our dog won't sleep in the kitchen

Our dog won't sleep in the hall

I lure her to the lounge with treats

But she won't sleep there at all


Our dog won't sleep on the landing

It’s a thing that she won't do

A comfy cushion, sofa, chair

She'll refuse each of them too


Our dog won't sleep in her basket

Prefers somewhere else instead

'Cos though I tell her “No! No! No!”

She will always choose my bed

Sy-lla-ble

I am a li-ttle sy-lla-ble

In-deed that's what I am

While 'beau-ti-ful' has three of me

I'm found just once in 'jam'


Li-sten care-fu-lly I'm heard

Lur-king in-side lots of words


I am a li-ttle sy-lla-ble

A bite-sized bit of sound

I'm pre-sent in the things you say

And things you've wri-tten down


Turn a page and take a look

You'll spot me in a-ny book


I am a li-ttle sy-lla-ble

Who's here, per-son-i-fied

Now twice a-ppea-ring in 'he-llo'

Then twice more in 'good-bye'

The Laundry Thief

Our laundry was drying in the sunshine

When an animal stole it from the washing line


It took trousers pyjamas, pullovers, socks

Shorts, sheets, pillowslips, cardigans, frocks

Underpants, knickers, dressing gowns, skirts

Baseball caps, woolly hats, tights, scarves and shirts


Was it taken by a tiger, turtle, tortoise, racoon, rat

Elephant, antelope, badger, bull, bat

Hippopotamus, rhinoceros, mongoose, moose, monkey

Hedgehog, hyena, crocodile, donkey

Polar bear, porcupine or pig? No - of course

The animal that stole it was a clothes horse!

Do the Wrap Rap!

For an ideal meal choose some sandwich filler

Generously spread it on a tasty tortilla

Lovely for a lunch and super for a snack

A bap or bun is far less fun

Do the wrap rap!

Do the wrap rap!

Do the wrap rap!


Very healthy too, bound to please your tummy

Better than a burger and great value for money

What you gonna do when hunger pangs attack?

Put down that bread, try this instead

Do the wrap rap!

Do the wrap rap!

Do the wrap rap!


Many fab flavours ready ripe for picking

Houmous, ham, falafel, salad, cheese or roast chicken

Stomach's crying “Help!” - but there's no need to flap

Don’t let a roll become your goal

Do the wrap rap!

Do the wrap rap!

Do the wrap rap!


Go grab one now

And plug that gap

Do the wrap rap!

Do the wrap rap!

Do the wrap rap!

Don't Jump!

Don't jump on the bed!

Don't jump on the bed!

You'll come to harm

You'll bust your arm

Don't jump on the bed!

Don't jump on the stairs!

Don't jump on the stairs!

You'll break your back

Your bones could crack

Don't jump on the stairs!

Don't jump on the mat!

Don't jump on the mat!

You’re sure to slip

You're bound to trip

Don't jump on the mat!

Don't jump on the wall!

Don't jump on the wall!

You'll land 'KERSPLAT!'

You'll squash the cat

Don't jump on the wall!

Don't jump on the chair!

Don't jump on the chair!

You'll hurt yourself

Go somewhere else

DON'T JUMP ON THE CHAIR!*

(*A week later, Mum and Dad bought me a fantastic trampoline – so my clever plan worked!)

Eyebrows

You will find them in the mirror

Sitting right above your eyes

Two long hairy caterpillars

Rising up when they’re surprised

Most unlikely to be spiky

Like a beard or a moustache

You can brush them, you can comb them

Or shampoo them in the bath


They might sometimes join together

They might never meet at all

You can pluck them, even shave them

Though I think that’s quite uncool

Cos our furry friends on foreheads

Should be treated with great care

Why not grow them, why not style them

To look chic and debonair?


You can thicken, wax or thread them

Add some glitter if you choose

Have one tinted teal or turquoise

Have the other brilliant blue

Watch them wiggle, jump and jiggle

Curl them tight into a frown

Such fantastic facial features

So much fun to have around

In the Next Room

In the next room is there…

A tiger growling

A wolf howling

A sheep bleating

A gorilla chest-beating

A cow mooing

A dove cooing

A crow cawing

A donkey hee-hawing

A lizard hissing

A lovebird kissing

A hippopotamus stomping

A rhinoceros chomping

A peacock squawking

A cockatoo talking

A hyena cackling

A rattlesnake rattling

A quail calling

A cat caterwauling

A lion roaring?

No, no, no!

It’s just my dad snoring!

I've Turned into a Mermaid

It seems I've turned into a mermaid

I've no idea how this occurred

It's all very fishy

My tail's long and swishy

And friends tell me I look absurd


I'm frequently found in the ocean

Though sometimes sunbathe on the sand

I'm best mates with blue whales

Sharks, dolphins and sea snails

Since I sold my house on dry land


I'm featuring in children's stories

Transformed from a human complete

Into this strange creature

Where key parts don't feature

E.g. l've no legs and no feet


What people have told me is so true

“It's funny how life can work out”

I'd never been diving

Yet now I'm surviving

With sole, salmon, tuna and trout


Enjoying the water around me

I'm cheerful, not gloomy or glum

Because it's real smashing

When splishing and splashing

A mermaid is what I've become


Sky

The sky’s above us in the air

We are down here while it’s up there


The sky is high, it’s never low

It’s full of clouds that come and go


It holds the sun, the stars, the moon

Kites, aeroplanes, rockets, balloons


And birds and flying insects too

The Earth’s blanket of brilliant blue


It can be orange also red

When inky black it’s time for bed


If weather’s wet it’s gloomy grey

I hope

the sky

won’t float

away...

Bull in a China Shop

He's smashing all the crockery

Glass, furniture and pottery

As subtle as a sharp karate chop

Devoid of patience, grace and tact

A manic military attack

He's a bull in a china shop


I urged him first to contemplate

To count from one to ten then wait

Unfortunately this coin failed to drop

He's in your space, he's in your face

Politeness goes without a trace

He's a bull in a china shop


Upsetting folk in seconds flat

Not born to be a diplomat

Ignoring me although I'm yelling “STOP!”

Destroying every ounce of calm

While causing chaos and alarm

He's a bull in a china shop


So close the windows, shut the doors

Take big deep breaths and clear the floor

Emergency - you'd better call the cops!

Much larger than a calf or cow

He's charging head-on at you now

He's a bull in a china shop

Me and My Squid

My marine mate and my mucker

I'm a sucker for her suckers

All her limbs are right for rowing

All her ink produced this poem


I'm delighted we're a couple

She's so squidgy, soft and supple

When we first met in the ocean

My heart filled up with emotion


If we swim, splash and make bubbles

People mock but we're not troubled

Arms and tentacles together

When will we be parted? Never!


We'll get married, have some kids and

Settle down at home in Squidland

With days fun and filled with laugher

Living happy ever after