Poems for Older Readers
The Ballad of Hedgebobble
‘Twas in the hopeful month of March,
bright daffodils were swaying.
You caught my eye and pricked my heart,
whilst in the roadway, laying.
Once wayward urchin wanderer,
now trembling of quill,
I could not leave you to your fate,
so featherlight, so still.
I launched a rescue mission; plucked
your spiny soul from danger,
transformed a humble cardboard box
to comfortable container.
You curled up tight on broadsheet page,
showed no sign of recovery.
Perturbed, I rushed you to the vet -
there came the shock discovery.
It seemed that you, dear thorny tot
for whom I’d taken trouble,
crept not from nest but fell from hat -
not ‘hedgehog’, but a bobble.
Read the true story of 'Hedgebobble' here!
Hush
A seashell doesn’t kiss and tell
beyond an enigmatic shush
but holds the secrets of the swell
in chalky curve, pearlescent well,
once caught in luna-lusting rush -
a seashell doesn’t kiss and tell,
speaks not of flesh she sheltered well
within her walls from inky crush
but holds the secrets of the swell,
the Solent’s intimate hotel,
the saltmarsh rich, the seagrass lush -
a seashell doesn’t kiss and tell
of oyster, seahorse carousel,
anemone in tickled blush
but holds the secrets of the swell
in subaquatic citadel
that soothes the soul with whispered hush -
a seashell doesn’t kiss and tell
but holds the secrets of the swell.
Spellbeing (Forest)
Find fortitude in dappled glade, on crunching path, feel unafraid;
the forest welcomes gentle guest; let breath of titans fill your chest.
Observe the details of the day, the sheen of moss, the interplay
of greedy bee and flouncing bloom, as nettles nudge for standing room.
Remember threading daisy chain, the scent of soil refreshed by rain,
the rough of bark, the curl of fern – let wide-eyed child in you return.
Encounter stillness; be serene in symphony of endless green.
Let sharp-soft breeze caress your skin; unlock a secret door within.
Sustain the cravings of your soul for something spellbinding and whole -
the solid oak, the shining birch; extended limbs form verdant church.
Tell tales of wonder in the wood, not wicked wolf but something good
awaits you in the dappled glade, where sunlight always pricks through shade.