Children's Poems

  The Last Voyage of Barnaby Bear When first the winter twilight dimmed the pane And rain beat softly on the nursery wall, I spread a blanket like a royal train Along my shoulders at adventure's call. My bed became a ship beneath full sail, Its wooden posts rose tall...

  The Bird with the Ugly Voice I kept a bird whose song was harsh and coarse, A jarring cry, a rasping, croaking force. I shut him in his cage beside the door, And hoped in time his voice might charm me more. I longed for melodies of sweet delight,...

  The Man in the Moon Was a Very Round Man   The Man in the Moon was a very round man, _And a jolly round man was he, So he took up his knife and whittled away, _And whittled his phases with glee.   He whittled in daytime and...

  The Cautionary Tale of Phone Addicted Mimi A girl called Mimi thought it best to give her active brain a rest. She bought the latest mobile phone, the same as her BFF, Joan, and all day long would browse and scroll, which soon became her single goal. At school...

  A Fishing Tale ---24 November 2025 Young Jeffrey oft went fishing with his dad Sometimes for perch but oftener for shad. When spawning shad were running wild upstream To catch one, two, or three was Jeffrey’s dream. Jeff’s daddy drove his boat upstream and down They trolled and brought...

  Otto and Octavius at Christmas Mother and Father Octopus, And Otto and Octavius, A cephalopodic family, Live in the Sargasso Sea. It’s an ordinary place With a routine, steady pace. Dad said, when came winter break, “A vacation we should take! It would be a doldrum-cure. I looked into...

    https://youtu.be/lt_M2Lf99mE The book is available on Amazon here.     Leslie Lippincott Hidley is retired from the safety business and lives in a small town in southern California. She has published poetry in Sparks of Calliope and other writing in the Ojai Quarterly and Ojai Monthly. She has...

  Dirty White Dwight’s Plight Finally, the rains return, And Dwight the snowman’s taciturn Sad features are yet sadder still, For him it seems it’s all downhill. And as we watch his slow demise, To our dismay we realise, That though we cursed him day and night, We think we’ll...

  Toads Don’t Fly On toad and frog hunt, evening this, A Friday, tenth of August bliss, Two thousand eighteen. Reminisce When katydids chirp and beetles hiss And lights illumine night’s abyss Where sandy shore and water kiss: One cloudless night in August-time When people talk and poets rhyme, Two...

  November Nights are cold, days crisp and bold. On the ground and in the trees, Vast array of red and gold Eyes behold as daylight flees. Morning frost defies the sun. Breeze demands we bundle up. Embers glow; there's fireside fun. Relish now fall's steaming cup.     December...

  I Dwell Within a Tidal Pool I dwell within a tidal pool; My world, though small, is most complete. I float around, I play the fool, And hang with creatures that I meet. Sea urchins are my boyhood pals, Blue mussels open up to help The small green crabs...

  The One That Got Away Nelson Cedrick Thunderwood, a Colonel in the army, has served his country faithfully for thirty-seven years. I doubt if there's a medal Colonel Nelson hasn’t won... he’s earned the admiration and respect of all his peers. In the mess hall, during lunch, a private...

  Theseus in the Labyrinth ---from "The Slaying of the Minotaur" As Theseus crossed the threshold, Minos told his men to shut the door. The heavy clang caused all to think the brave lad would be seen no more; But there, inside the darkness, clever Theseus’ plans were taking shape,...

. The Vile Monkey and the Patient Buffalo ---adapted from a Jataka tale of India A powerful old buffalo Once ranged the Indian countryside. Over the rolling hills, in cool Dark caves and tangled woods, he plied. One day, he found a tree where he could rest And for a...

. A Poetic Retelling of the Myth of Icarus and Daedalus ---from "The Bird Man in the Sky" So early at the break of day, when bright beams in the east And cloudless skies told Daedalus that there was not the least Foretoken to suspect that stormy weather would appear,...

. Mnemonic Device for Military Pro-Signs A-Z Pro-signs are an alphabetical coding system used by the military for radio transmissions or for the naming of various units, to insure complete clarity of reference. ALPHA is a top-notch male, the chief and number one— BRAVO is the thing you shout when...

. A Horse’s Tale: King Arthur’s Great Steed The horse known for bearing the greatest of kings— Proud Thor was considered the worthiest horse; Such that if all horses had voices to sing, They’d sing all their praises in honor of Thor. But horses can’t sing and only can neigh,...

. The Old Man and the Mouse: A Sicilian Folktale An old man poured a glass of milk, and left it on the table. A small mouse came and drank it up, as much as he was able. The man returned, and when he saw the mouse right by the...

. A Winter's Tale There’re many strange and spooky tales, That come from England’s hills and dales. When Winter tightens up its grip, As feet and fingers start to slip. For on a cold December day, I ventured on the upland way, A spell of solace for to find, From...

. Territorializing Slithering slowly, so very precise, A methodic invader (and catcher of mice), She stealthily slips toward the enemy there, So unsuspecting, at rest by the chair. Without a diversion to aid her approach, And only her instincts, I watch her encroach. So lethal and cunning, the hair on...

. Bear Spray My little brother took a dare To pepper spray a mama bear. It seems the spray was much too mild, So I've become an only child. Except for near the polar ice, The bears you'll see are mostly nice When people give them ample space But get...

. Easter Couplets Easter’s more than just about eggs and bunnies;More than what you may have read in the funnies. Short and sweet, (although I can’t guarantee it),This is what it’s all about, as I see it: Jesus died and rose again—or he didn’t.What the Bible says is true—or it...

. Happy Like Winnie the Pooh If I could be happy like Winnie the Pooh, Just thinking of good things in all that I do. I’d just want some honey—a big honey pot— I’d pay all my money, give all that I’ve got. With love for my friends and with...

. A Grain of Sand A grain of sand got lodged into __A little seagull's eye. He spluttered with indignant rage, __"Now I can't even fly!" And so his eye grew worse and worse, __The seagull shrieked and whined. Until one day the poor old bird __Eventually turned blind! A...

. Watch Out! Now, “The Three Little Pigs” is a tale More for cautioning than for amusing: Learn its lessons and you may prevail; Heed them not, and you may end up losing. For we, none of us, live in a bubble Free from entropy, rust, or destruction; Try to...

. Dragons Lost at Sea In salty seas green dragons fly the waves, With plastic scales—a man-made guard from rot. Submerged to sleep in rocky water caves; Bereft of flames they blow and bubble not. A cargo ship of Lego spilt the lot, And tiny bricks are drifting round the...

. Just Doin' Our Job As if they didn’t have enough to do already---harvesting the light to make food for the tree and seeing to it you and I have clean air every day---leaves slake their host tree’s constant thirst by managing the process whereby unseen roots will take the...

. What Mother Goose Neglected to Mention . A Soup Spoon Reflects upon His Past So the dish ran away with the spoon, we were told, __And he treated her well, bless his soul, But he realized, when he was tarnished and old, __That he should’ve run off with the...

. The First Fallen Leaf A single leaf begins to fall. He wants to be the first of all. His brethren strain to join his fun. For now he’s still the only one. He floats and sways inside the breeze, but, looking up, he promptly sees another leaf depart the...

. Leave Above the land, suspended, green and grand and splendid, we furnish food for trees, whisper with the breeze till cold winds bluster in and we turn harlequin. Now that we’re on the ground, you tote your toys around, which scrape us up or, roaring, send us whirling, soaring....

. Beauty Flowers are the faded stars that fall from silver skies, Raindrops are the sacred tears that leak from angel eyes. The wind is but a melody the gods bestow to earth, The sunrise is an ember that has dropped from heaven’s hearth. Beauty has a language; if you...

. The Stoat and the Old Goat This tale concerns a little stoat, With eyes of black and velvet coat, Who frolicked in the virgin snow, Above the village down below. This little chap, so short and lean, He liked to keep his burrow clean, Whilst watching with his beady...

. Probing for the Problematic Polyp Bob was testy yesterday. __A fractious, famished fellow. You would be, too, if all that you __consumed was juice and Jell-O. He downed the colon cleansing drink. __The consequence was troubling. The gaseous gurgling wouldn’t stop. __His whole inside was bubbling. The joy of...

. . Poetry for Children by Shaun C. Duncan . To speak of poetry for children might appear redundant at first. With rhymed and metered poetry hounded out of every "respectable" corner of the literary establishment these days, it sometimes seems that children's literature might be the last redoubt of...

. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/87O4CNfrZ2M https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ufJcOO-y7Ho?feature=share https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GG9J2oEEiyY?feature=share . . Andrew Benson Brown has had poems and reviews published in a few journals. His epic-in-progress, Legends of Liberty, will chronicle the major events of the American Revolution if he lives to complete it. Though he writes history articles for American Essence magazine, he lists his...

. Poet Paul A. Freeman challenges you to write a nursery rhyme in the style of the Mother Goose classic "Jack and Jill." Below is his model example. Post yours in the comments below. . Nigel Neath Nigel Neath lost all his teeth Through eating too much candy; He threw...

. Belling the Cat The mice called a council to try to defeat A troublesome cat who would ruthlessly eat Any mouse in the house that she happened to meet. A young mouse spoke first. “Pay attention to me. We’ll fasten a bell on the cat, then you’ll see That...

. The Boy Who Cried Wolf Once there lived a shepherd boy who Despised his dull profession. His job was to alert the town When wolves would show aggression. One Saturday in late July, He thought it would be hilarious To stand at pasture’s edge and shout, “A wolf! Come...

. The Outing . I Miss Deidre Ealing of Tiny Tots School, A woman who'd never be anyone's fool, Observing her charges like little buds sprouting, Decided the next day they'd go on an outing. Departure was posted that morning for nine; No clouds could be seen and the outlook...

. The Tortoise and the Hare in limericks A tortoise and hare were a-talkin’. Said Hare: “Why, your slowness is shockin’! __If we ran a race, __You’d be a disgrace. I’d win, even if I were walkin’.” Said Tortoise, “No, hare, I would beat you. As swift as you are,...