The Toy Press, a delightful Children’s Poetry Magazine, release a weekly word prompt for Poets on their Socials every Monday morning. This week, the word was: horse. After a few minutes of brainstorming, my mind drifted towards the strange prehistoric Chalk Horses that were carved into the hillsides of the English Countryside. I imagined one of these horses coming to life, and taking a child on a magical moonlit ride. It was great fun trying to write to a galloping rhythm and also to try and create the atmosphere of a dark October night. I will leave it to you to decide whether or not it was all just a dream…
If you’re a teacher, educator or a poet, here are a few activity ideas for you:
Write a poem about a horse using a galloping rhythm;
Write an atmospheric poem about a crisp October night; thinking about the sights, sounds and smells you might experience;
Write a poem about a magical midnight journey; have fun and let your imagination fly!
The sun slipped away past the cottages The chimneys were billowing smoke The air was as crisp as a biscuit The sky like a black, velvet cloak.
The stars were a sprinkle of glitter The October moon bright and round The forest lay distant in darkness The owls made their faint hooting sound,
I lay looking out of my window On my bed, neath the attic's sloped eaves When whoosh, went a star shooting eastward, And swish, went the wind through the leaves.
Then down from the hillside came galloping A chalky white horse on the run, I jumped on its back and went riding To chase down the first rays of sun.
Its hooves scattered moonbeams like diamonds Its mane was a flickering flame We rode 'til the shadows went racing And the light of the breaking dawn came.
Share a photo of your pet and tell us one thing that makes them uniquely them.
Moses likes climbing in baskets Cupboards and suitcases too He’ll find any vacant space going, And any old crevice will do. A shopping bag makes a good hideout In a space on a bookcase he’ll squidge, But I think you’ll agree That it’s going too far When a cat climbs right into your fridge.
Growing up as a child in South London, where it’s often a few degrees warmer than the rest of the country, often meant that we’d be the hard-done by kids that didn’t get any snow. When the news and weather came on, we could only look on in envy at all the videos of children all around the UK flying down hills on sledges because school was cancelled!
In memory of this, I wrote this rhyming story about a group of Primary School kids in just this situation. : I hope you enjoy reading it. Alternatively, you can listen to me reading it here: https://dirigibleballoon.org/poem/The-Day-It-Didnt-Snow.
We trudged into school feeling terribly glum, We’d been hoping for snow, but that snow didn’t come. Instead, it was raining, and grey, grey, grey, grey, And then it got worse, When Miss Gibbs said: “Wet play.” While other kids sledged up and down, having fun, We sat, with our heads in our hands, having none.
Miss Gibbs gave us paper and glitter and glue, She told us: ‘Stop moping! Find something to do.” Then up piped the voice of a new kid, called Trevor: “I’m making the world’s longest paper-chain ever!”
And we watched him make rings. Out of strips of bright paper, He looped them, And linked them, And glued them together.
And the whole class joined in, It was something to do, And we all added loops Til that paper-chain G-R-E-W!
Silver and crimson, And glittering green, Our chain was fantastic, The best EVER seen! It stretched round the room, And then out through the door, But it still wasn’t finished, We all wanted more!
Then the kids in year Two Saw our paper-chain fun, And the kids in Year Three Told the kids in year One. And before very long, The whole school seemed to know, And everyone helped Make our paper-chain grow! And even the teachers, Miss Gibbs and Miss Baker, Began cutting strips out of colourful paper.
And our lessons got cancelled, We were: ‘learning through play,’ We were trying new things, It was paper-chain day!
And when it was finished, We all oohed and aahed, At our fabulous chain, Made of paper and card.
It was draped down the corridor, And all through the school, Once round the classrooms, And twice round the hall. Even the staffroom Was brightly festooned, “Ooh, it looks lovely!” Miss Hunniford swooned.
And the newspapers came With their camera crews, And suddenly in strolled A bloke from the news!
And we didn’t get snow, But we got on TV, Miss Gibbs and some other kids, Trevor and me, And our marvelous paper-chain Shiny and bright, Got a five-minute feature, on London Tonight!
We’d done it! We’d made the best paper-chain ever, Our brilliant school, And the new kid called Trevor.
Summers end, Gone in a blaze of glory, As though the trees soaked up the last of the sun, Then, full-to-bursting Came twirling down, Lining the streets with ribbons of gold What a breathtaking sight to behold!
Season's change, In a never-ending-age-old story, Reminding us all that God knows what's best Adorning the holly hedge With a graceful ochre crown, And beautifying the streets around this old familiar town.
Crimson, vermillion How many? A million? Carpeting the forest floor, With leaves and treasures galore, How I adore This Autumn.
The course content is not only helpful, but wonderfully inspiring and at the end of every session, there is an exercise to try. The most recent was to read the classic ‘Jabberwocky’ by Lewis Carroll – writer of the Alice in Wonderland books – and use it as a basis for writing your own story or poem.
In case you haven’t read it, ‘Jabberwocky’ is a poem which intersperses plain English with totally nonsensical, made-up words resulting in a totally brilliant bit of balderdash which the reader can still understand!
For the sake of time, I decided to stick largely to the original text, but try to come up with my own nonsensical words in place of Carroll’s! And here is the result.
T’was flinkle, and the smurky glurg, Did chire and chunder in the floom, All boggy were the swampaleeze, And the qualm fligs downrume.
‘Beware the Gringlecrunch, my son, His knees go creak, his knuckles crack. Beware the Howling Jowl and run From terrifying Bladdersmack!’
He took his runsome sword in hand, Longtime the vexious foe he sought, So rested he by the Plickadee And stood a while in thought.
And as in flonder thought he stood The Gringlecrunch with breath most foul, Came hortling through the greeping wood Skarooming with a howl!
One two! One two! And through and through, The runsome blade went Bammleboff! He left it dead, and with its head He went marading off!
‘”And hast thou slain the Gringlecrunch? Come to my arms my lubbish lad, Oh vumshious night, Skooreeh! Skoorite! My heart is minsely glad.
T’was flinkle, and the smurky glurg, Did chire and chunder in the floom, All boggy were the swampaleeze, And the qualm fligs downrume.
I found this exercise heaps of fun, but also challenging. Believe it or not, it’s trickier than you might think to to come up with a word that sounds vaguely recognisable, whilst at the same time being utter nonsense – especially whilst sticking to a rhyming scheme.
So in honour of National Poetry Day, (which is tomorrow by the way) why not have a go at writing your own rendition of ‘Jabberwocky?’ I’d love to hear how you get on!
There once was a lad who did dare, Tease a red-head regarding her hair, How that lass got irate, On his head, smashed her slate, Then she dyed her hair green in despair.
Here’s a tribute to one of my favourite set of books (and films) growing up.
The Anne of Green Gables series, by Lucy Maud Montgomery, follows the childhood adventures of an extremely imaginative and chatty orphan girl, named Anne Shirley (that’s Anne spelt with an ‘e’ of course!) who comes to live – by way of a mistake – with straight-laced elderly siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert.
I can’t help flying up on the wings of anticipation. It’s as glorious as soaring through a sunset. Almost pays for the thud!”
Interestingly, I watched the 1985 film adaptation, produced by Kevin Sullivan, before reading the books! And I’m pleased to say, this didn’t ruin the stories for me, but only made me want to read them even more!
I was absolutely spell-bound by the characters, the cinematography and the film-score, and got very quickly swept up into the wonderful world of Anne, her ‘bosom friend’ Diana Barry, Gilbert Blythe, and all the other characters from Avonlea.
As a fellow red-head, I too had been called Carrots a time or two! (And ‘Gingernut’ and ‘Duracell’). So I instantly empathised with Anne, and felt like something of a kindred spirit.. I also shared her love for reading, writing, poetry and flowers – and having a somewhat fanciful imagination!. Fortunately, though, I happened to be a lot less hot-headed! I’m not sure I would have had the guts to walk the ridge-pole of a roof if Josie Pie had ever dared me. And I’m pretty sure I would have forgiven the handsome Gilbert Blythe in a heart-beat if he’d called me Carrots.
I will never forgive Gilbert Blythe, Diana. The iron has entered my soul…
After watching the films, I raced out and bought the first few books, eager to find out more about the mishaps and antics of Anne, who was constantly ‘getting into scrapes,.’ a few of my favourites being:
Accidentally setting Diana drunk because she mistook Rachel Lynde’s redcurrant wine for Raspberry Cordial;
Getting rescued by Gilbert Blythe when she fell into the ‘Lake of Shining Waters’ after re-enacting a scene from Tennyson’s ‘Lady of Shallot’;
Falling into the mud after trying to prevent an errant cow from entering a crotchety neighbour’s field….
…to mention just a few….But you’ll have to read the books for yourself!
Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”
I was delighted to discover that the stories took Anne into adulthood! As a kid there was nothing better than a book series, which followed a beloved cast of characters through all their ups and downs as they grew up.
Even as an adult, I still have the full set on my book case and occasionally re-read them. They are wonderfully comforting and a bit like old friends to me. My youngest daughter recently listened to an audio version of the first book at bedtime and she absolutely loved it – which just goes to show their enduring appeal. Admittedly, they are quite wordy compared to many children’s books nowadays, but they are wonderfully descriptive, especially about the natural beauty of Prince Edward Island, where the books are set. There are one or two sentences in them that really sing… and if you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself reading them twice, because they’re just so lovely.
A September day on Prince Edward Island Hills, a crisp wind blowing up over the sand dunes from the sea; a long red road, winding through fields and woods…now basking in open sunshine between ribbons of Goldenrod and smoke blue Asters…
Photo by Beata Kamiu0144ska on Pexels.comPhoto by Sebastian Velandia on Pexels.comPhoto by Sebastian Velandia on Pexels.com
The stories are funny, quite poignant at times – and they have a wonderful wholesome feel about them.
I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it?
What books did you enjoy growing up? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
In just under two weeks time, on 12th May, it’s National Limerick Day, where people post their favourite Limericks on Social Media, under the hashtag: #NationalLimerickDay!
Why May 12th? It was the birthday of the English Poet, Edward Lear, who was the king of limericks, making them popular in the early 1800’s.
A limerick? What’s a Limerick? I hear you ask. How do I write one? And why should I bother?.
And here is my answer!
It’s fun to sit down with a brew, And come up with a limerick, or two, It’s a juggle of thoughts, A word-puzzle of sorts, It’s a word-nerdy thing you can do!
Hahaha! A slightly silly response, granted. But here’s my logic: The very best way to learn how to write a Limerick is by reading them!
But just to be clear, here are a few features of the Limerick:
Limericks are humerous, rhyming, five-line poems, with the pattern: AABBA
They often tell a little anecdote or story – which makes them really fun to write.
Like this:
There once was a kitty so smart, Stealing food was his devious art, He would pilfer your chicken, Next your ham, he’d be nickin’ Why, he’d even come back for your tart!
Our pets seem to feature quite regularly in my limericks – but, honestly, you can write a limerick about pretty much anything.
It could be educational:
Seeds are remarkable things, Some have spikes, some rotate, some have wings, Dandelion is cute, With its seed parachute 🪂 But the best one of all sorta' PINGS!
- you could even write a limerick about…writing limericks!
Writing lim'ricks is tricky, but fun, Make sure lines five and two rhyme with one, Add a killer last line, (If it helps, drink some wine!) Don't give up, you'll be glad when it's done!
So what are you waiting for? You've got just under two weeks to get scribbling!
Here are some tips to get you started!
Pick one subject to write about- it could be your pet, a silly situation, a favourite film or book or even about yourself;
Try and nail your last line early on – this is the line that ties everything together, and if done well, really gets the giggles;
Remember, lines one, two and five all have to rhyme – so pick a common sound for your word-ending. Be creative with it! In some instances, forced rhyme can work quite well! (See last line of the second example below)
If you’re stuck, try to avoid abandoning your subject idea altogether. Instead, walk away for a bit. There are more ways than one to say something. Limericks are like a puzzle. Often the answer comes when you’re busy doing something else, like walking the dog, or doing the washing up.
A rhyming thesaurus can be really useful for those word endings, especially if you’re missing a beat or syllable
Oh, a rhyming thesaurus is grand, It can help when your limericks are bland, It can give you word power At the e-leventh hour, With names like: Pituitary Gland
There once was a cute little kitty, Who would sit around looking so pretty, But this act was a lie, He was really a spy, No you should not believe cats one bitty.
Moses, looking like butter wouldn’t melt…
I hope this post has inspired you and that you’re running for your notebook and pencil as we speak! Perhaps you’ll be brave enough to post them on #NationalLimerickDay!
