Poems from Yr 5, South Hill Primary, Herts

I recently had the pleasure of visiting South Hill Primary School in Hemel Hempstead. Working last thing on a Friday afternoon, I asked Year 5 to have a think of a place that is special to them. After taking some notes, I gave everyone a short amount of time to write the first draft of a poem. I gave them the option os including a chorus. Here is a selection of work produced the the wonderful Year 5s!

Anfield

Where the atmosphere gets more red and red

The best players are under the spotlight

That’s Anfield 

The Everton haters chant and sing YNWA 

They will put in their heart and soul in every way

That’s Anfield 

As everyone is shocked and surprised

The crowd suddenly begins to rise

That’s my home

Tenerife

The sun shines in my glistening blue eyes

I walk down the street seeing people in sunglasses

In Tenerife 

I lick my vanilla ice cream

So slowly and oh so delightfully

In Tenerife

We pick a restaurant and have a delicious meal 

I slurp my spaghetti noisily

In Tenerife

After we have eaten

We walk down the side of the beach 

My flipflops clicking and clacking

In Tenerife 

Turkey

Where the ice cream ripples down my hand 

That’s Turkey

I dip my toes in the sand

That’s Turkey

There are lots of dogs that follow me

That’s Turkey 

But here comes a bumble bee!

That’s Turkey 

We watch a sunset before disco night

That’s Turkey

Nothing here could give me a fright

That’s Turkey 

My Safe Place

The bed is soft like a cat’s fur 

The books imagine they might fly

That’s my safe place 

It’s relaxing when my brother isn’t there

It feel like there’s real-life toys

That’s my safe place 

The night light is so colourful 

The lego is so playful 

That’s my safe place

Trampoline Park

Where the excitement appears

You are here!

The laughter and joy

You are here!

Jumping from a height that might be a fright

You are here!

Slurping a slushie red and blue

You are here!

Safety guards watching you 

You are here!

Sweating now and then

You are here

At the Trampoline park!

Disneyland Paris 

Where you ride on the rollercoasters

And stare at the Eiffel Tower

Where you lick a lolly

While riding on the merry-go-round

Where your mum never wants to go 

On the rides with you

But you force her anyway

Now that’s my idea of fun

Where your parents say yes to everything

Where you can do whatever

Where you can eat Mickey Mouse pizza

Now that’s my idea of fun 

Where there’s candyfloss galore 

Where you can be as loud as you want 

Where you meet your favourite characters

Now that’s Disneyland Paris!

Sick

The boiler’s broken down again

You’ve had a parking fine

The kids are playing up at school

You’ve spilt a glass of wine 

You’ve had a scam on Instagram

Your neighbour is a prick

You’ve missed your latest deadline…

and the cat has just been sick.

The rent is going up again

The car insurance too

You've snagged your brand new jacket

And you think you have the flu 

The boiler man has not shown up

(He said that he’d be quick)

You’ve tripped and hurt your ankle…

and the cat has just been sick. 

You’re chasing up a payment

That’s gone missing in the post

The milk has just turned sour

And you’ve gone and burnt the toast 

You’ve prayed to God to help you out

It hasn’t done the trick

You’re drowning in disorder…

and the cat has just been sick. 

Joshua Seigal

The cat misses you.

She keeps staring

at the front door and yowling.

I catch her curled up

on your side of the bed.

She doesn’t settle on my chest

the way she does on yours.

She stands on my lap, not quite

looking me in the eyes.

The curtains have been ripped to shreds.

She paces round in the nights,

from room to room, looking for you.

Her feline instincts sense

that something is amiss.

I try to pick her up.

She gives me a hiss.

Joshua Seigal

Gone

I dropped you off at the airport.

When I got home there’d been a power cut –

no internet, no microwave, no hot coffee.

It was as if the flat had given up

in solidarity with your absence.

I flipped the switch on the fuse box

and waited for the place to sigh back to life.

I heard the oven ping, saw a light flicker

on the TV. It was then that I realised

I had the most pounding, godawful headache.

Joshua Seigal

My Favourite Author

Of all of the authors

in all of the world,

I think of my favourite one;

the writer who writes

with the choicest of ink

and a pen from which wonders

are spun;

the bard I regard and 

who leaves me aghast 

at the beautiful turn of their phrase;

the wordsmith who works

with the best of all words,

whose creations astound and

amaze.

There’s Shakespeare and Dickens

and Roger McGough – 

indeed I could wax on and on; 

there’s Sylvia Plath

and Virginia Woolf,

but my favourite one is

‘Anon’.

Joshua Seigal

A Chef's Request

I can’t stand jalapeños.

Please keep them out my pot. 

They’re jarrowingly jorrible 

and jideously jot!

Joshua Seigal

Honest Jack

Jack Sheppard (1702-1724), AKA Honest Jack, was a notorious English thief. He is famous in folklore for escaping from prison on numerous occasions. Using this fact, I thought I would come up with a limerick poem to commemorate his escapades:

HONEST JACK

Jack Sheppard was locked in a cell.

His mind, cogitating, did dwell

on making a break,

so a rope he did take

and he clambered away down the side of the prison wall. 

Jack Sheppard was banged up once more.

He sliced through his bars with a saw. 

Leaping over the gate

and defying his fate, 

he promptly absconded for a second time.

Jack Sheppard, imprisoned anew,

was certain of what he should do.

Distracting the guard,

he crept into the yard

and he sauntered out of the jail, dressed in women’s clothing.

When faced with unwanted restriction,

Jack always escapes this affliction.

You can cuff him, detain him, 

confine and constrain him,

but he’ll always break loose of whatever limitations you put upon his freedom.

Joshua Seigal