Rolling

The grass was fresh and green

Dew sparkling on blade tips

We smiled and held hands tight-

to the top we promptly skipped

Resting on the ground

Repose with arms  s t r e t c h e d  up

We gazed into the sky-

blue as the richest sapphire cut

Breathing air in deep

Tiny wriggles of fingers and toes

We slowly counted to three-

eyes squeezed tight to close

Over and

Over and

    Over we went

From blue and then to green

From azure lights and wisps of cloud

To earthy damp and clean

Over and

Over and

    Over we went

‘til suddenly we stopped.

Flushed and rosy-cheeked we grinned

Laid on the plane we’d flopped

Laughing still we looked up high

The crest beckoning once again

We ran this time - legs moving fast-

 Over and

 Over and

     Over we rolled

 Over and

Over   

 and then…

Swinging

This poem is for my son who loves to swing.

Higher! Higher!

I’m soaring over trees!

Gliding over branches

thick with emerald leaves.

Higher! Higher!

I can almost touch the sky!

I think I saw an aeroplane

with bright red wings race by.

Higher! Higher!

I see the moon up close!

Its surface marked with craters

and dark, solid lava flow.

Higher! Higher!

Into space I go!

Comets zooming past me;

stars sparkle, planets glow.

Higher! Higher!

My rocket swings me up!

‘til at the top I fall again

in one almighty drop!

Higher! Higher!

… please?

Secrets

Whenever my children find a creature outside, they want to know what it is.

So we look, we draw, we talk.

This poem was inspired by the discovery of an earthworm in the school garden.

(The picture above is a creature we discovered during another activity.)

There are secrets in the soil-

quiet whisperings of change

burrows dug down deep below

where raindrops can be drained.

Roomy earthy spaces

where air can flow right in

and plants can soak up nutrients

ready for the Spring.

S p r e a d i n g  out their roots

seeking anchorage in the ground,

the zone of elongation proud

as big new cells abound.

There are secrets in the soil-

tiny, delicate and thin-

lining all these brand new roots

drawing minerals quickly in.

Invisible to eyes

particles of nitrogen softly hide

in teensy little droppings

the worms have cast aside.

These tiny squirmy workers

know just what all plants need

and wriggle close beside them

ensuring they succeed.

The Jetty

I wrote this poem for my kids after a recent trip to Busselton, 

a small town on the coast of Western Australia. 

The jetty is well-known there - 

the swimming leg of the Busselton Ironman loops out and around it - 

and is one of the town's main attractions. 

Two kilometres long, it stretches right out into the ocean, 

ending at an underwater observatory.

The Jetty

It  s t r e t c h e s  out so far

from shallow to the deep.

To water that is dark and quiet

where all the fish can sleep.

The wooden planks are  w i d e

and lead us on our way.

We walk right near the edge to see

and feel the salty spray.

The clearness of the water-

the unclouded crystal green-

a window to the world below,

of life not always seen.

The seaweed waves its fronds,

a gentle to and fro.

Back and forth they sway-

the ocean's rhythm calm and  s l o w.

We see them dart around-

silver flashes down below.

As herring dance in synchrony-

the entire school in flow.

Other fish swim by-

their antics make a splash!

Drops of water jumping out

and landing with a splat!

Not everything is moving-

some creatures are so still.

Clinging tightly to the pillars-

holding fast with all their will.

The abalone shells

are round and very tough.

We reached arms down to touch them-

ridges prickly and quite rough.

Climbing up again

from underneath the jetty's shade,

We stood and watched just one more dance

'til the movements seemed to fade.

Stories

We recently took the kids to a dinosaur dig.

An activity put on by a local community forestry group.

We spent the afternoon outside.

They dug.

They got dirty.

And they discovered a story.

The earth is full of stories

of creatures long ago.

Some that roamed on trunk-like legs,

their gait steadied and slow.

Others moved much faster

and chased across the plains

ostrich-like, they sprang along

‘til on their prey they gained.

Sifting through the dirt

we found more pieces of the puzzle-

short pointed bones that could be claws

and some that might be muzzles.

Carefully we brushed away

the brownness of the ground

and searched in every corner

‘til all the bones were found.

Jaws with teeth all flat and  w i d e

were placed above a spine;

tail bones – short and spiky-

set in a great  l o n g  line.

Once the feet were added

we stood and looked down on

the creature we discovered-

a story not foregone.