How long is high?

Cherry

By Rhiannonw

Thu, 03 Aug 2017
  • 4358 reads
15 comments
 

‘Mary can reach the table bottom,
I can reach the top,
Dan can reach the curtain rail
– but where does growing stop?

‘Dad can’t reach the ceiling, quite,
and if we climb the tree,
the sky is ever so far away
from Dad and Dan and me.

‘You’d have to be a bird to go
up into all that blue
– but can they reach the fluffy cloud,
and could they travel through?

‘Is there blue above the cloud?
a “roof” up somewhere too?
with painted stars that shine at night?
… But what do rockets do?

‘Do spaceships fly up, up more high
to travel to the moon?
and on and on to Mars and stars?
… I’ll know the answers soon!’

[Poetry Monthly August: Blue Sky Tree High]

 

Certificate U
Poetry Monthly
Families
Children's
Humour

Comments

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Delightful!

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thanks, it's a long time since I've tried getting into a child's thoughts. I enjoyed attempting that again! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

and thanks for cherries. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by ashb on

The rhyme and rhythm here look (sound) so easy - a difficult thing to pull off. (I've loads of halfdone poems on the hard drive that I've not posted here.) 

It's great when you're a tired parent reading aloud to come across stuff like this that's easy to read for bedtime.

 

ashb

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Sometimes that form comes fairly easily, often there's a lot of sculpturing and re-reading necessary!

Thanks for your appreciation, and I hope it does go down OK with the children, if that's what you have in mind. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Parson Thru on

What a lovely sentiment. And nice structure, too. Good piece, Rhiannon.

Parson Thru

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thanks, PT. I enjoyed doing it!

I've been looking up some of your travel spots to improve my geography of Spain. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

What a great idea for poetry monthly Rhiannon. I really enjoyed reading.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thanks, Jenny. Nice to know. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by jeand on

Hi Rhiannon

I like this writing from a child's point of view. Were you thinking about your grandkids when you wrote it?

Jean

 

Jean Day

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Hi, Jean, I don't think I've ever totally lost my child's viewpoint. My older grandkids are now 12 and up, and the next one is just a couple of months old, but I've spent time a lot helping with children (had to stop some of it when the older generation needed more attention) and now I'm sort-of in charge of the toddler group run by our chapel, so plenty to keep the mind on children's tracks I think! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

I have a vivid memory of turning three years old and looking down at the carpet, thinking how far away from my eyes it was getting. This has an easy rhythm to it and perhaps something children could sing along to.

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you, Jane.

Isn't it interesting how some memories take such a strong hold? And thinking of how the concepts of size and distance grow, partly through questions and conversations. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

This is lovely! And it flows so well too. You make it look so easy and I find it so hard to do. Was interested to  hear that a part of the brain lights up (or whatever it is that brain lookers at get worked up about) when people read rhyming poetry. There's something so satisfying in great rythm, I bet in my heads all lit up now :0)

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Oh, thank you. It's so nice to know the work's been enjoyed in a very simple way. Sometimes flow comes easily, sometimes not. Know what I want to say (sort of), but getting it clear, and in a flow, doesn't always come for a while. Rhiannon