Poem Pitch

Fish

So many fish swim in the sea,
There’s such a large variety.
Some are big and some are small,
Some can fly and some just crawl.
Some are striped and some have spots,
Some have scales and some do not.
Some are green or red or blue,
Some fish you can see right through.

Most have fins and shiny scales,
Or solid shells as hard as nails.
Some are huge and some are tiny,
Some have spikes all sharp and spiny.
Some fish have a lot of legs,
Some have babies, some lay eggs.
Some fish glow where it is dark,
Some fish make electric sparks.

Lots of fish will leap and play,
Others like to hide away.
Some fish swim where water’s cold,
Some are shy and some are bold.
Some fish travel miles and miles,
Some fish look like crocodiles.
Some live on a coral reef,
Some fish look just like a leaf.

A Tuskfish uses rocks as tools,
And many travel round in schools.
Some fish do not have a jaw,
Some suck blood like Dracula.
Some fish breathe air just like us,
Some are deadly poisonous.
Some fish can communicate.
I think fish are really great.

Left Home Alone

My mom has gone out and I’m here all alone
I don’t even know if she’ll ever come home,
My tummy is rumbly, my brain feels all slack.
Oh! What shall I do if she doesn’t come back?

I can’t reach the phone so can’t make a call,
But this pair of sneakers right here in the hall
Smell just like her feet and the smell makes me calm
I’ll chew them a bit, it can’t do any harm.

Oh my! There’s a beetle squashed here on the rug
If I use my teeth I can give it a tug.
There, now the bug’s gone and it’s under control.
I don’t understand why there’s such a big hole?

I climb up the stairs and jump onto her bed
And nibble the pillow where she lays her head.
But now there are feathers all over the room,
Since I made the mess I should go get a broom.

The broom’s in the closet with bottles and jugs,
And one jug falls over and gloop slowly glugs
All over the floor, so I slip and I slide
And soon I am smothered in 'Fresh Liquid Tide.'

I race round the house but the scent is still there
Things crash to the floor and I bulldoze a chair.
I roll on the sofa to rub off the smell
This stuffs really sticks so it doesn’t work well.

At last hot and sweaty I plod back upstairs
And jump on her bed knowing nobody cares
The house is a wreck and I just want to cry
But dogs can’t shed tears so I’ll lie here and die.

But wait! That’s the car, and I hear her door key.
How silly to think she would ever leave me.
I rush down the stairs, shedding feathers and foam,
She’ll be oh so pleased when I welcome her home.

Spelling Tests

On Monday teacher gives the class
A list of words to spell.
There’ll be a test on Friday, but
I know I won’t do well.

I copy down the words she writes
And look at them with dread.
I try real hard to memorize
And fix them in my head.

On Monday night my mom sits down
To help me learn the words,
But all the letters flap and spin,
Like darting humming birds.

On Tuesday my Dad takes a turn.
He jokes and plays the clown.
We study, chant and then repeat
Before I write them down.

On Wednesday Mom tries again,
By now I’ve learned a few.
I’m starting to feel confident,
This week I might win through.

On Thursday Grandma comes for tea
To walk the spelling path.
She makes up stories round the words
And often makes me laugh.

And just before I go to bed
Gran gives a spelling test,
And I get every spelling right.
Yes! Thursday night’s the best.

First lesson on a Friday morn
Is spelling testing time.
I take deep breaths and tell myself
I’m going to be just fine.

The teacher slowly reads the words
And suddenly my brain
Is empty, like she’s pulled the plug,
And sent them down the drain.

I write the words but know they’re wrong
I try to do my best,
And once again, like every week,
I fail the spelling test.

My Friend Johnny and the Bad Day

Johnny is not my friend today,
I don’t know why, he will not say.
It seems he doesn’t want to play
And I am on my own.

I saved a seat in music class,
But Johnny shrugged and hurried past.
He left the classroom really fast
And I was all alone.

At break I waited in the yard
And by yourself that’s pretty hard.
I felt I’d got the yellow card
For reasons quite unknown.

I sat down at his side for snack.
I joked but he did not joke back.
His mood was gloomy, dark and black,
Like he had turned to stone.

But I don’t give up on my friends,
I’ll persevere till he unbends,
I’ll be there when his sadness ends,
I’ll brave the Arctic zone.

For friends are friends through thick or thin,
I know that something’s troubling him
And when he’s ready he’ll give in,
And I’m not going to moan.

If Johnny’s down he needs a friend
And I’ll be there right till the end.
When he cheers up we’ll make amends,
Our friendship will have grown.

Deforestation

The Amazon’s on fire!
Sold to the richest buyer!
The jungle is ablaze,
Enveloped in a haze
Of cinders, ashes, smoke.
Hot air that makes you choke.
Flames roar and leap and dance,
And wildlife has no chance,
Their habitats are gone,
Those jungle creatures run.
Ocelot and tapir,
Flee from the flames in fear.
While jaguar and sloth,
Watch centuries of growth
Smoking into the skies,
Confusion in their eyes.
Man clears the land for corn,
Heedless as creatures mourn.
And, as we slaughter trees,
Earth heats up by degrees.
To gratify man’s greed,
We foul the air we need.
Money and industry
Drive man’s stupidity.
We can’t afford to wait,
Soon it will be too late,
With planet earth stripped bare
No life will flourish there.
Trees are the lungs of earth,
No gold can match their worth.
And who can place a cost
On children’s future lost?
It’s up to every nation
To end deforestation.

Shishmaref

A village in Alaska,
A windswept island place,
Where blizzards blank the landscape,
And ice rain stings your face.
Six hundred people live there,
A close community.
To eke out an existence,
They hunt and fish the sea.

For years the frozen oceans,
Upon which they depend,
Have offered them protection
That now it seems will end.
For seas are growing warmer
And sea ice is no more,
And stormy waves come crashing
Against the island’s shore.

The permafrost is melting.
Waves nibble at the bay,
And as earth’s temperatures rise
More land is torn way.
The preacher at the church there,
Though such thoughts make him grieve,
The teacher at the village school,
All know soon they must leave.

Our planet’s growing warmer,
Our ice caps melt and crack
And seas will rise and swallow land
That we cannot claim back.
We must fight global warming
With every single breath,
For if we don’t we all could face
The fate of Shishmaref.

For Grant:

Planets

Around the sun the planets spin
And each one has its place.
Let’s learn about them as they fly
Through starry solar space.

We’ll start with planet Mercury,
This one’s the smallest one.
There’s no life there for it’s too hot
And closest to the sun.

Next Venus orbits round the sun,
Its light is shiny bright.
You’ll spot it in the starry sky
If you look up at night.

Then comes our precious planet Earth,
With water, air and trees.
Where many different creatures live
In forests, hills and seas.

Next planet Mars, quite close to Earth,
In size about the same.
It’s rocks are red and it’s quite cold.
Red Planet is its name.

Fifth from the sun is Jupiter,
The biggest planet known.
A giant ball of swirling gas,
Too cold to make a home.

The planet Saturn is the sixth,
A real amazing sight.
A beautiful, cold, gassy globe
With rings of rocks and ice.

Uranus is the next in line,
And it spins on its side.
This ice giant is cold and dark
It’s surface liquefied.

Beyond Uranus Neptune lies,
A frozen ball of blue.
It’s icy core and freezing winds
Would not suit me or you.

Among the planets out in space
Are moons and asteroids.
Great meteor and comets race
Across the empty voids.

These planets form our galaxy
We call the Milky Way.
Could there be other galaxies
For us to find one day?

April 2022: 6 Red wolf cubs born in the wild in North Carolina.

Red Wolves

A handsome dog, the red wolf prowls
The forests speckled glades.
It’s tawny coat is flecked with flame
In subtle autumn shades.

Uniquely ‘all American’
The red wolf used to be
A wanderer in every state,
From sea to shining sea.

Like us they live in family packs
And take care of each other.
The pups stay round till they are grown
Learning from Dad and Mother.

The red wolf is a carnivore
He likes to feed on meat.
A mouse, a rabbit, or raccoon
Provides a tasty treat.

Today red wolves are rarely seen,
So few are still alive
That, without care and help from man,
The species won’t survive.

In Northern Carolina there
Are packs still roaming free,
But without man’s protection the
Red wolf would cease to be.

So pay attention to their fate
If you don’t make a fuss.
The next endangered animals
Might actually be us.

Never Take Our Earth for Granted

Humming birds and polar bears,
Peaches, plums and juicy pears,
Snowy peeks and mountains high,
Trees that almost touch the sky,
Sparkling lakes and stormy seas,
Earth is filled with joys like these.
Spinning globe, a world enchanted
Never take our Earth for granted

Elephants and butterflies,
Frothy clouds and sunny skies,
Verdant valleys, desert sand,
Poppies blanketing the land,
Coral reef and rocky shore,
So much to be grateful for.
Spinning globe, a world enchanted,
Never take our Earth for granted

Tiny crabs and giant whales,
Fur and feathers, fishes’ scales,
Scent of roses, coffee, spice,
Sunshine, rain, the touch of ice,
These are wonders beyond measure,
Planet earth is filled with treasure.
Spinning globe, a world enchanted,
Never take our Earth for granted

Bees and bugs and birds that fly,
Sparkling stars in midnight sky,
Skylarks singing with the dawn,
Blazing sunset, frosty morn,
Beauty all around us lies,
Listen, feel and use your eyes.
Spinning globe, a world enchanted,
Never take our Earth for granted