For me, one of the unanticipated benefits of lockdown is that I have been able to interact lots on social media with teachers, schools and, dare I say it, fans. I recently ran a competition on Twitter, in which I promised to write a special, bespoke poem for the winner. I was delighted when Chaucer Junior School in Ilkeston came out of the hat, and I am really excited to be able to share with you the poem that I have written. The request was to write a poem about books and reading, to be displayed in their library for when schools go back. Furthermore, I was also asked to incorporate the 'core values' of the school, namely: Respect, Tolerance, Cooperation, Aspiration, Kindness and Appreciation. Here, then, is the poem written especially for Chaucer Junior School!
WHO ARE WE? A poem for Chaucer Junior School
We are respect
Like the shiny cover of a new book
Standing proudly on the shelf
We are tolerance
Like letters sitting side by side
Making meaning with their union
We are cooperation
Like books banding together
To build a bank of wisdom
We are aspiration
Like sentences strung sublimely
As they stretch towards the sun
We are kindness
Like a solid spine gently holding
Many different pages
We are appreciation
Like a wide-eyed reader
As they gaze upon a galaxy
We hold the world
Between our covers
We are Chaucer Juniors.
In my bounteous munifence, I also recorded the following video of myself reading the poem. Hopefully it will cause everyone at Chaucer Juniors to spontaneously combust with excitement!
