IF I WAS A LITTLE BIRD

By Annette Bromley

Sat, 01 May 2010
  • 2915 reads
3 comments
 

If I were a little bird
I’d fly so very high,
I’d fly above the treetops
clear up to the sky
and rest awhile upon a cloud
and watch the world go by.

If I were a little bird
I’d live down by the lea,
swing on cat-tails by the marsh
and live in a willow tree.
I’d lunch on seeds and berries,
sing sweet songs and not complain
and snuggle in my nest each night
and times when it might rain.

If I were a little bird
I’d fly up very high
when the rain has ended
and use the rainbow for a slide.

Certificate U
Story
Poems and Stories for Children of all ages by Annette Bromley
Children's

Comments

Submitted by h jenkins on
I hope you don't mind my mentioning it, but there is a point of grammar here. When 'if' introduces a notion that is hypothetical or imaginative, the verb takes the 'subjunctive' and not the 'indicative' mood. Therefore it should be 'if I were a little bird'. If you're interested, a good 'rule of thumb' in determining which it should be, is whether the word 'would' is included. In your poem, 'I'd' is a contraction of 'I would' which clearly makes the mood subjunctive. Helvigo Jenkins

Helvigo Jenkins

Submitted by Annette Bromley on
Life is a gift; Living it is a choice. Thank you for your comment and of course I do not mind the critique. I know it should be were to be grammatically correct but I used a bit of poetic license here because the poem is meant to reflect a little child dreaming. A little child would probably use was rather than were. Thanks aqain for bringing was and were to my attention and there is no offense taken but I will not be changing my was to were. Annette

Life is a gift; Living it is a choice.

Submitted by h jenkins on
Fair enough. Helvigo Jenkins

Helvigo Jenkins