The Zoo That Rocked

Foxes foxtrotted

Flamingoes fandangoed

Raccoons did the robot

Tarantulas tangoed

Porpoises pogoed

Tortoises tried the twist

Seahorses salsaing

Such a sight not to be missed

Camels can-canned

Hippos hip-hopped

The residents were raving

In The Zoo That Rocked

Terrapins tried tap

Jellyfish jived to jazz

Rhinoceroses rumbaed

With a certain razzamatazz

Quails and quetzals quickstepped

Badgers boogalooed

Walruses waltzed

Bats attempted ballet too

Lambs did lambada

Moved, grooved and never stopped

All animals were animated

In The Zoo That Rocked

Salamanders sambaed

Conger eels chose the conga

Cheetahs cha-cha-chaed

Till they couldn't any longer

Jackdaws jitterbugged

Snakes selected swing

Brown bears thought that ballroom

Was just their kinda thing

Meerkats moonwalked

Baboons body popped

Every creature danced, danced, danced

In The Zoo That Rocked

Mum's Secret Job

Arlo's mum's an architect

Isla's mum's an illustrator

Kevin's mum's a chemist

Deena's mum's a decorator

Mine says she’s a shop worker

Though I know that’s a lie

'Cos my mum works as an MI5 spy

Gina's mum's a journalist

Bola's mum's a builder

Geeta's mum's a gardener

Calvin's mum's a carer

Mine hides gadgets everywhere

Wears shade upon her eyes

'Cos my mum works as an MI5 spy

Frankie's mum's a firefighter

Dora's mum's a driver

Amir's mum's an actor

Orla's mum's an author

Mine will whisper down her phone

All secretive and sly

'Cos my mum works as an MI5 spy

Irene's mum's in I.T.

Freddie's mum's a farmer

Lulu's mum's a lawyer

Reuben's mum's a roofer

Mine flies jets then parachutes

From high up in the sky

'Cos my mum works as an MI5 spy

Kush's mum's a cleaner

Dorcas' mum's a doctor

Caleb's mum's a caterer

Polly's mum's a plumber

If you ask mine “What’s your job?”

You’ll not get a reply

'Cos my mum works as an MI5 spy

Cat! Cats! Cats!

Ginger cat

White cat

Brown cat

Black cat

Lazy cat

Lap cat

Sitting on the mat cat

Kitty cat

Cool cat

Crazy cat

House cat

Street cat

Wild cat

Wants to catch a mouse cat

Bobtail cat

Burmese cat

Siamese cat

Persian cat

Tortoiseshell

And tabby cat

Every version of a cat

Cat, cats, cats

But not one dog

You’ll find them in

My CATalogue

Magical

Dressed in a smart suit of silver and black

He produced twenty rabbits out of his hat

Sawed a man and a woman in half

As the audience shrieked!

As the audience gasped!

While waving his magic wand around

He levitated high above ground

Pulled ten silk scarfs from each ear

Yelled “Abracadabra!”

And - in a flash - disappeared

I'm a Germ

I’m a germ, nasty germ

I’m contagious and I’m catching

Make you cough and make you splutter

Maybe itching, maybe scratching

While you sniffle, while you snuffle

You’ll feel iller and infirm

Horrid, microscopic menace

I’m a germ!

I’m a germ, filthy germ

Plotting, planning how to raid you

Loveless, loathsome little devil

Drop your guard and I’ll invade you

First I spot you, next I’ve got you

You’re the apple, I’m the worm

Vulgar, vilest of villains

I’m a germ!

I’m a germ, dirty germ

Out of sight and unapparent

Multiplying in my millions

Though invisible, transparent

Human meds can strike me dead

Still, I might rally and return

Best beware - I’m always out there

I’m a germ!

Chocolate Fix

Rumbles in my belly

Not for crisps or jelly

Biscuits, fruit or deli

I need a chocolate fix

Milk or white or dark bar

All are rated 'five star'

Guess what's on my radar?

I really need a chocolate fix

Expectation's mounting

Calories - who’s counting?

Ice cream, drink or fountain

I really, really need a chocolate fix

Keep those cakes you're baking

Hold that Chinese take in

Please - stop my hands from shaking

I really, really, really need a chocolate fix!

NOISY!

The motorbike's ZOOMING

My big brother's HUMMING

The waterfall's CRASHING

The bass drummer's DRUMMING

The lawnmower’s WHIRRING

The babies are BAWLING

The builders are DRILLING

My parents are CALLING

The beatbox is BOOMING

The front doorbell’s RINGING

The tiger is ROARING

The neighbours are SINGING

The firework's EXPLODING

The rabbits are MUNCHING

The rusty door's CREAKING

The cookies are CRUNCHING

The windows are SMASHING

The sports fans are CHEERING

And my ears are drowning

In all that they’re hearing

Difference

If we all had the same eyes

The same nose, ears and teeth

Shared the same culture and religious beliefs

If we all weighed the same

Grew to the same height

Had the same sense of wrong and right

If we all had the same hairstyle

Had identical brains

So our personalities were exactly the same

If we all held the same opinions

Never had any choice

Always spoke with the same single voice

If we all laughed at the same jokes

Wore the same clothes when dressed

Achieved the same score in every test

If we all had the same skin colour

And possessed the same face

Then the world would be such a boring place

One Last Chocolate

There was one last chocolate in the box

Was it Macaron?

Brazilian Coffee?

Summer Fruit Nougat?

Crunchy Hazelnut?

Soft Fudge?

Sour Lime?

Sticky Toffee?

Was it Marzipan?

New York Cheesecake?

Swirled Caramel?

Fresh Cherry Cream?

The Plain Dark Square?

The Belgian Milk?

Mint Truffle?

Or Marshmallow Dream?

I hoped it was my favourite

Just lying there so lonely

I grabbed it first, but was sad to find

One empty wrapper, only :-(

It’s Okay to Fail

It’s okay to fail

To fall flat and flop

It’s okay to start

Then stumble and...stop

If you’re finding tasks tricky

That’s perfectly fine

We can’t all speed fast past the finishing line

Don’t stress in lessons, exams and tests

So long as you’re trying your absolute best

There's no need to panic

The Earth will keep turning

If you tell yourself that you’re NOT failing...

But learning

Insect Day

Today is our school's INSECT DAY, so...

Bria brought in a BRAINY BUTTERFLY

Chris brought in a CREAKY CRICKET

Gracie brought in a GRUMPY GRASSHOPPER

Mahir brought in a MAGNIFICENT MAYFLY

Bellina brought in a BELLIGERENT BEETLE

Connor brought in a COOL COCKROACH

Eva brought in an EAGER EARWIG

Alvin brought in an ACROBATIC ANT

Daisy brought in a DANGEROUS DRAGONFLY

Wally brought in a WACKY WASP

Bahiya brought in a BARMY BEE

Miguel brought in a MUSICAL MOTH

Our confused teacher enquired loudly

“Children! Why are you all here?

“Today is our school's INSET DAY!”

Corners

In a corner of my room a spider spins its web

In my local corner shop I buy fresh milk and bread

The sun shines brightly from a corner of the sky

A teardrop falls from the corner of my eye

There’s a corner of my shoe I can’t fit my toe in 

There a corner of my garden which the roses grow in

There are corners on triangles and rectangles too

And a corner of my heart that’s set aside for you

K 8 a B

O, o, o!

K 8 a b

U c, u c

K 8 a b

Y o y?

K 8 a b

999 - m r g n c!

K 8 a b 4 t

(PS: R u o k, K?)

Splinter!

There’s a splinter in my finger

That I’m poking with a pin

Though I gouge it, jab and stab it

Still it sticks under my skin

It perturbs me, it disturbs me

Causing me to be obsessed

I can’t budge it, lift or shift it

From the place in which it rests

I’ve immersed it in hot water

Squashing, squeezing does no good

Suction’s failing to remove it

Evil, nasty piece of wood

There’s a splinter in my finger

Hear me holler, scream and shout

So annoying, soul destroying

Won’t you help me get it OUT?!

Play

I can't play the lute

Trumpet, fiddle, flute

I can't play the guitar

Trombone, tuba, sitar

I can't play the xylophone

Zither, cymbal, saxophone

I can't play the drum

French horn, (even hum!)

I can't play the oboe

Bagpipes, bongo, banjo

I can't play the violin

Ukulele, mandolin

But one thing that I CAN play

When in my class at school

I stick bananas in my ears

And I can play the fool!

We are the Words

We can lift you up

We can knock you down

We can raise a smile

Or create a frown

We can change a cry

To a laugh out loud

We can be plain daft

We can be profound

We can be obscure

We can be well-known

Used to form a phrase

Or left all alone

We can question

“How? What? Where? When? Why? Who?”

Write exciting stories

Perfect poetry too

We have sy-lla-bles

We have l-e-t-t-e-r-s and

We can help you learn

Also understand

We can be sung, spoken, read or heard

Find us in your dictionary

We are the words

Traffic Light

Daytime

GREEN

Brain and body: Go! Go!

Evening

ORANGE

Begin to s l o w

Bedtime

RED

Stop and sleep through the night

Life is like a

T

R

A

F

F

I

C

L

I

G

H

T

Career Choice

I boiled the bread

Cooked mouldy beans

My apple crumble was obscene

I broke the oven

Soaked the floor

Hot curry sauce splattered the door

I smashed four plates

Trod on the cheese

Blocked up the sink with mushy peas

My shepherd's pie - you couldn't eat

I made spag bol - forgot the meat

I dropped six eggs

Sat on your cake

My baked potatoes wouldn't bake

My Sunday roast was burnt to death

That's why I became a poet

And not a chef

Unbottled Lightning

Unleash your lightning

Let it crackle and fry

Dazzle, frazzle and flash

And ignite the whole sky

While it’s firing, inspiring

And unlocking potential

As it forms, flows and grows

On a path exponential

Unleash your lightning

Let it rage, roar and soar

See it take you to places

You’ve not been to before

With a speed supersonic

Feel it fly at full throttle

All your dreams, skills and talents

Don’t let them stay bottled

Animal Outfits

I've never seen...

A giraffe wrapped in a scarf

Llamas dressed in pyjamas

A coot clothed in a suit

Kittens kitted out in mittens

An owl draped in a cowl

Kippers sporting slippers

A meerkat wearing a hat

Doves donning gloves

A goat garbed in a coat

Dogs modelling clogs

Or an octopus with a T-shirt on it

So how come...

There's a bee in my bonnet?