'SILLY SIMILES' - MORE WONDERFUL POEMS FROM LOCKDOWN STUDENTS

The poem above is published in my latest book, Welcome To My Crazy Life (Bloomsbury). The other day I set a challenge on Twitter. I shared the poem, and encouraged children to come up with poems using their own 'silly similes'. I didn't set any more rules, I just waited to see what weird and wonderful ideas would results. I am delighted to say that many children got in touch with their own poems, and I am honoured to be able to share some up the results!

First up is Ashlynn, age 12, from Wisconsin USA:

Wonderful stuff! Next up is Ashlynn's sister Brooklynn, age 10:

Next, please give a big round of applause for Anna, age 9:

And let's hear it for Henry, age 7:

Let's hear it for Liberty, age 10!

And finally, a great big cheer for Lincoln, age 10. 

Silly Similes

As heavy as a flea,

As round as a box,

As as big as a pea,

As dumb as a fox.

As tasty as sand,

As square as a mule,

As quiet as a band,

As smart as a fool.

As flat as a ball,

As hot as ice,

As quiet as a call,

As giant as rice.

As friendly as a foe,

As tiny as a book,

As black as snow, 

As blunt as a hook.

As handsome as a squint,

As dry as the sea,

As slow as a sprint,

As boring as me.

'I WANNA BE A BEAR' - FAB ANIMAL POEMS FROM LOCKDOWN STUDENTS

 

At the current time it feels like every author and their dog are producing videos that are then being widely disseminated through social media. I therefore felt I had little option but to give it a go myself. The video above is entitled 'I Wanna Be a Bear', and contains a poem that is forthcoming in my book called Yapping Away, due to be published by Bloomsbury in 2021. After I perform the poem, I ask the audience: if they could be any animal, what would they be and what would they do? I'm delighted to say that several teachers got in touch with examples of students' responses to the poem, several of which I am now delighted to share. 

Here is 'I Wanna Be a Bee' by Ryan, in Year 6:

I think Ryan's use of rhyme of rhythm in this poem is really special. Next up is 'I Wanna Be an Eagle by Alex W (Year 6):

And finally we have 'I Wanna Be a Snake'. Unfortunately no name was supplied with this poem, but I love it nonetheless:

WRITING

They tell me that now

is a good time for writing.

They say that 

with all this empty time

what is better or more natural

than for a writer to write?

What they don’t know

is that I’m too busy to try. 

I’m far too busy

refreshing the page

for how many have died.

As I lie awake on the sofa

for half the night

I’m actually very busy,

tangled up with the knowledge

that next might be my turn

to feel the loss

of something real. 

So as I lie here, 

the months stretching out

into fields of nothing, 

I’m really far too busy

for writing.

'WHEN I GET TO BE' - POEM IDEA INSPIRED BY LANGSTON HUGHES

When I Get to be a Chef - by Yaniv, Year 8

When I get to be a chef

I’m going to create a dish

Of happiness and tastiness

And watch people enjoy it

There will be meats and rice

Chicken and potatoes

And the sweet desserts will

Be the talk of the town

And once it is eaten

Smiles will arise on my customers faces

Talk will emerge

Of the greatest restaurant

and I will make dishes

For the best and most powerful people

I will open a place

For all to eat

All who go will be happy and full

All because I made it

When I am going to be a chef

I’ll make the world see

What cooking for you means to me

And when it is all over

When I am to weak

to carry on

I will remember the wonders of cooking

How I changed the world

And with my children

And my children’s children

They will carry on

And happiness will emerge again

But not until

I become a chef.

.....................................................................................................................................................
The poem above was inspired by Langston Hughes's poem 'Daybreak in Alabama'. The writing idea that followed was simple: think of something you'd like to be (it could be an occupation, or it could be weird and fantastical like a zombie or unicorn), and describe would you would do if you were that thing. Here are some previous examples of students' efforts.

A POEM FOR LIBRARIES

Come to a place full of wonder and light

and sparkling stories to brighten your night;

of tales and fables and beautiful beams

that flash in your mind and set fire to your dreams. 

Come to a place full of horror and dread,

of demons and dragons that howl in your head;

of terrible tigers with blood-spattered claws

and lives that are shattered in famines and wars. 

Come to a place full of dates, facts and figures

and jokes that will have you in stitches and sniggers;

a place you can stroll through the meadows of history,

scaling the sides of the mountain of mystery. 

Come to a place that can sate your addiction

to rollicking rhymes and to fabulous fiction;

a place you can travel through time at your leisure:

a library of pages to savor and treasure.

BRILLIANT POEMS FROM CASTLEWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL, SOUTHWATER

When I do one-off visits to schools, my aim during workshops is usually for each individual child to have written the first draft of their very own poem. I say 'first draft' because to complete a poem usually takes a lot of time - sometimes several days! I am particularly gratified when teachers get in touch to say their class has continued working on their poems after my visit, which is exactly what happened when I visited Castlewood Primary School recently. I am delighted to be able to share some poems that were sent to me after my visit. It is clear that the pupils worked very hard on their poems, as you will be able to see below!

CAT IN A BOX

You can give her a ball

or a small fluffy toy;

you can hand her a plaything

for her to enjoy; 

you can come home all laden

with ramps, posts and blocks,

but all that she’ll want

is a plain cardboard box. 

You can go to the pet shop

and fritter your dosh

on fancy contraptions

that seem rather posh;

you can hope that your purchases

will entertain her,

but all that she’ll want

is the cardboard container. 

You can have lots of love

and the best of intentions

and spend all your time

coming up with inventions,

but all that you do

she will deem unacceptable:

all that she’ll crave

is the cardboard receptacle.

So listen in closely

and heed my advice:

no matter your gift

and no matter how nice,

the only thing certain

is this paradox:

all that she’ll want

is the damn cardboard BOX!

'WORDS' - POEM BY YEAR 5, KINGSLEA PRIMARY SCHOOL

I became a poet because I love words. The analogy I always use, when discussing poetry with children, is that words are like little Lego bricks, and a poem is like a Lego model made out of those bricks. Basically, making a poem is playing with words. I love the sound and feel of words themselves, and I enjoy exploring the different combinations that words can be put into.

With this in mind, I'd like to share the following fantastic poem, created by a group of Year 5 pupils during my visit to Kingslea Primary School, Horsham, recently. The poem is based loosely on my piece 'Friends', which is published in Little Lemur Laughing and can be read here. The trick to writing a poem like this is to think of a concept, and then to explore which adjectives can apply to this concept. It is important to keep a sense of rhythm in mind too. Here, then, is Year 5's wonderful poem:

Words

Short words, long words, 

Make-a-little-song words, 

Words that make you feel kind of funny,

Happy words, mad words, 

Crazy words and sad words, 

Words that are as fluffy as a bunny. 

Sing-song words, story words, 

Happy, scary, gory words, 

Words that surely scare you in your sleep, 

Quiet words, loud words, 

Modest words and proud words, 

Words that make you want to start to weep. 

Brave words, shy words, 

Your words and my words, 

Scary, happy, crazy sad and mad. 

Feeble words, rhyme words, 

Words that measure time words, 

Words that love me just the way I am

NEW POEM

'Woof woof woof woof woof'.
Would you call this a haiku
Or just doggerel?