MY HERO

My dad’s as brave as a dad can be,I rate him Number One,He’s not afraid of the dead of night,Or anything under the sun. He’s not afraid of a late-night film,Full of horrors on the telly,And is he afraid of skeletons?Not dad, not on you Nelly! He’s not afraid of meeting ghosts,He’s even smile and…

WHAT IS RED?

Red is a sunsetBlazing and bright.Red is feeling braveWith all your might.Red is a sunburnSpot on your nose.Sometimes redIs a red red rose.Red squiggles outWhen you cut your hand.Red is a brickAnd the sound of a band.Red is hotnessYou get insideWhen you’re embarrassedAnd want to hide.Fire-cracker, fire-engineFire-flicker red-And when you’re angryRed runs through your head.Red…

SAD I AMS

I amthe ringfrom an empty Cola canthe scrapingsfrom an unwashed porridge panthe severed armof last year’s Action Man. I amthe envelopeon which the gum is gonethe Sellotapewhere you can’t find the endthe toothless stapler, springless bulldog clipthe dried-up liquid paperthat mars instead of mendsthe stamped addressed replythat you forgotto send. I amthe battery in which…

The Day the Bulldozers Came

The day the bulldozers cameRooks were buildingCrazy egg baskets in the oaks;Green flies sizzled by the pondAnd a cold-eyed toadWaited for them. The day the bulldozers cameSquirrels were scatteringUp tree trunks,And leapt from branchesThat were hardly there. The foxStirred in his sleepAs the ground trembled.‘Ha ha!’ he thought,‘I’m quite safe,Deep down in the Earth,No one…