Our search for the best new poems for children is nearing its climax.
Today we reveal the shortlist of the 33 poems still in the running for the top prize of £250.
The YorkMix Poems For Children Competition was launched at the end of last year. A total of 208 poets submitted 642 poems.
Our judge, Carole Bromley, YorkMix‘s Poet In Residence, will reveal the winners at the end of next week.
Winners, Highly Commended and Commended poets will be informed of their success on or before Wednesday, February 24, and the results will appear here on YorkMix soon afterwards.
2021 shortlist
Here, to whet your appetite, in alphabetic order by title, are the opening lines from the shortlisted poems.
A Boy Called No One
There is a boy called No One
I often see at school.
I’m very kind to No One.
so No One thinks I’m cool
A Letter From The Principal
Dear Mr Smith and Mrs Smith,
I’m writing you this letter
because your son’s behaviour
isn’t getting any better
A Meal for your Maths teacher
If your teacher’s the sort of creature
to set a nasty sum,
distract her with a meal of maths
to fill her mathsy tum.
Boborygmus
Boborgymus is a noisy monster living in my belly,
He makes horrendous noises when I’m trying to watch the telly
Cinderella’s Coachmen
Ronnie and me are just regular rats,
laze around during the day,
hit the town at night
Consequences
Cheesecake, trifle, treacle tart,
Baked Alaska – that’s to start
Dolphins
Imagine the rush and gush and swish
Imagine the rush and gush and swish and swoosh
as you fly through a cloud of bubbles
Dracula’s Cafe
We’re going to Dracula’s Cafe for tea.
We’re opening the door with a creak.
Eating Out
I’d like the burger please.
No, not the macaroni cheese.
Envy
I am bile yellow and smell
of old soap and vinegar.
Ferret Shopping
I went shopping for a ferret
and I took along a list
of all the things a ferret needs –
wanting nothing to be missed.
Fussy Eater
I will not eat your shepherd’s pie
with all the bits mixed in.
If you put it on my plate,
I’ll put it in the bin!
Grumpy
Here we go again –
wash your hands,
eat with a fork,
sit up nicely,
don’t snatch….
Hashtag Horror
I Instagram my pizza.
I Instagram my chips.
I Instagram each piece of food
I stick between my lips.
How Daniel Saved the World from Mutant Ants
Emptying your trouser pockets for the wash,
I pull out
six linked paperclips,
an elastic band
frisky as an eel on a trampoline…
Mr Wolf’s Letter Of Resignation
Dear Mrs Mason,
I hereby resign as a building inspector
and from this point on I won’t be a detector
of faults in new buildings that might end in rubble,
because of my recent three-pig centred trouble.
My Sister Claire
My sister races down the track.
Shout at her she won’t come back
Personals
Personals, ROYAL GAZETTE
WANTED: By a dashing prince
a maiden who’s not wont to wince
Pie Tester
I am the man who tests the pies
they set before the King.
With fingers, nose, ears, tongue and eyes,
I check for everything.
Shoes
There are thirty-three pairs of shoes
In my class
Simon Sebastian Samuel Stone
Simon Sebastian Samuel Stone
was ADDICTED to his phone.
Snow and Ice
Snow slips down at night,
unseen,
tiptoes across grass verges,
curls round bicycles.
Snowman in Spring
The first small buds are bursting forth.
The birds that fled are flying north.
But for our frosty friends, the snowmen,
there cannot be a sadder omen.
Something In The Air
Things are not quite right:
We’ve all become aware
That the changing rooms have altered
And there’s something in the air.
The Diamond Tree
I found my mum in the garden, crying,
and if I didn’t say I felt scared I’d be lying.
The First Bell Rings
The first bell rings,
trembly and firm:
in from the playground,
a rollicking herd.
The Jellagrump
No one believed me
when I said I saw it
waddling all ickyflobble –
The Would-be Knight
Montague Chumleigh Farquar
Wanted to be a knight
He bought a suit of armour
But he couldn’t get it right
Three Little Piggies
When Mama Pig’s three sons have grown
they know they must set out alone
When Stefan Got Stuck in his High Chair
When Stefan got stuck in his high chair,
we couldn’t disguise our surprise,
for, though hardly thin, when Mum slotted him in,
we never dreamed this would arise!
When the Light Goes Off
When the light goes off,
the bear comes out
and talks to the crocodile under the bed
Who Can’t Do That?
Cristiano Ronaldo?
Who can’t do that?
Ok, I may not be as quick
Or quite as clever with a flick
Worldwide Wet
It’s raining cats and dogs today,
It’s hammering down like nails.
It’s becoming a real frog-strangler,
It’s raining pilot whales