The Treasure Chest The pick of the best poems from June to December 2001 (Part 3) Our Wonderful World by Edward Forrest (aged 10) Rivers flow gently Shimmering, sparkling, gleaming Skies lie blue as sapphires Carpet fit for a king Clouds, soft pillows in the air Float in silence. Trees blow in the wind Swaying, bending, moving Flowers fill grass lands Beautiful treasures to be found. Fish swim peacefully Darting, gliding, hiding Insects make wonderful music Humming, singing, calling Birds fly high in the air Their melodies blend in harmony Animals live in unity Peace fills the earth. Then they come ...... Two legged foxes with metal sticks Exploding, firing, killing Animals flee their homes Clouds turn black Chemicals pollute the air Seas fill with sludge Fish gasp and die Machinery slices cruelly As helpless trees fall. Man is here Spoiling our wonderful world. I'm a Penny in a Pocket by Hollie Spring (aged 11) I'm a penny in a pocket, I travel from place to place. Today I'm in a human pocket, The next a Martian's from outer space. I'm a penny in a pocket, Today I'm in a tramp's. Tomorrow who knows? Maybe a genie from a lamp's. I'm a penny in a pocket, I work as a one pence piece. My usual job is to buy little children sweets. I'm a penny in a pocket, and I don't have much more to say. But if you ever have a one p, Drop in and say good day. Underwater Creatures by Benjamin Agar (aged 10) Coloured fish swim peacefully A rainbow of jewels in the sea Beautiful treasures to be found. Seahorses bob gracefully Like statues in the ocean A wonderful sea creation. Starfish, perfectly still Lie there fully stretched A valuable ocean possession. The turtle glides with leather legs His eyes glancing furtively A green rock moving swiftly. Crayfish dart in and out of pots Their pincers clapping rapidly Scuttling along as fast as lightning. Dolphins tumble with fun Silver shadows leaping Shining in the morning sun. Whales sing in harmony Side by side in sequence Moving islands on a rug of blue. The octopus dives under a rock Tentacles dangling The sea shivers with fear. The shark prowls its territory Ruled by its fangs Creating terror everywhere. The Traveller by Adam Clarke (aged 10) The traveller walks on and with only his horse for company He rides round the edge of a dusty mountain He feel he is not the only person in the presence of the mountain. He comes to a set of trees There is a shadow behind him But it's too late He is the victim of the highwayman. Mother Metamorphosis by Colette Sensier (aged 12) She picks her way through the Lego. Debris of my sister's toys. Picks her way with feline grace. She ceases to shout at us ceases to nag. Just fixes us with a supine stare. My sister wakes in the dark a-tremble runs to find her mother for a bravery cuddle turns, terrified, when confronted with just a slanted yellow glare. Her highlights grow out her hair becomes matted. Tortoiseshell springs on her spine. No birds will visit our bird-table now the ones that do are found disembowelled and disembodied bleeding on the lawn. Now it's my job to cuddle my sister who comes to my room at night-time. Panicked by night-mares of "Mum" While an ominous presence lies in the corner. Snoozes with one eye open. Her catnap is never disturbed Lonely by Charlotte S (aged 9) (A Haiku) She was very sad Wandering around lonely Just wanting a friend. Freedom by Tarin (aged 10) I like to reach up to the sky and know I can do anything. I do not have chains to tie me down. I am free. Winter Night by Gina (aged 11) At night When all is still I open my drape To discover a new world One I have never seen before Covered with a bluish blanket Of sugar powder Small animals leave behind small roads All the world feels peaceful How could they not? God's creations glowing brightly By the full moon's face And I sit near my window I was never more content Than to just sit in my room Watching the world drown in confetti. I feel incredible bliss The peaceful blackness of the simple darkness I nod myself to sleep And dream of what I left behind: The beauty of the winter night. Music by Antonia Bruce (A sonnet) It creeps into my mind, emerging from The depths of silence: suddenly a note, Exposed and soft, grows louder and is gone, 'Til in the air another's left to float And die. The melody begins to grow: A wave of sound, it rises and then falls. It washes over me, I hear it low, Then high, now soft, then loud, the waves are tall... Not only waves but warmth and colour too: An image being painted in my head, A Technicolor film in shades of blue Which changes slowly into a deep red. Each individual sound has its own role, Some music can reach out and touch the soul. Halloween by Sarah Clayton (Aged 9) Wild wind blowing, Trees are groaning, Strange things abound tonight. Dogs are howling, Cats are yowling, Something isn't right. Across the sky, Odd shapes fly, Strange things abound tonight. A witch appears, Old in years, Something isn't right. A witch and cat her broomstick ride, All living creatures run and hide, Stay at your peril, NO! Run like the devil. What's the reason? It's Halloween Season! Spirit of a Bonfire by Lucy Cadel (aged 10) Pale faced she rose out of a wisp of grey smoke, Her long black hair matted with golden leaves, A cloak made from ash, And an ebony sash around her slim waist. Her twig-like arms waved in the evening breeze, Her legs were half hidden in the flames of the fire, She turned to look at me, Her lips as black as night, In a hushed voice she spoke: "I am the spirit of the bonfire." Happiness by Ambr Smith (aged 8) On your birthday when you open your first present. At your friend's party watching them have fun. When you win a competition to go to a great safari park. At a wedding when a bride cuts the cake. When I go to see my brother a cookery school. Laying on the golden sand eating a Cornish ice cream. Getting all my work right in numeracy and getting a star card. Learning to swim at Oldham swimming baths. Touching medals that my great grandad has won in the war. Life by K.M.K. Girly (aged 11) Life. It is a very long story. Each day is another chapter. Things can go wrong, things can go right. You never know what will happen next. That is what makes the story worth reading. Life. It is a very long road. It twists and turns. Sometimes it is bumpy, sometimes it is smooth. That is why we want to travel it. Life. It is permanent. Every choice we make, thought we think, word we speak, action we take, will be there, forever. Life. What is it for? The answer is simple. Life is for living. The Pelican by Mikaela Campbell (aged 11) I saw him first Standing there With a top hat on And a blue waistcoat. He shuffled his feathers And prepared to fly His wings flapped furiously As he soared into the sky. I saw him first Gliding down Wings gleaming in the sunlight. With graceful movements He scooped up a fish Enclosed it in his bill Proudly lifted his head Then he flew back to me. I saw him first Staring at me He moved closer. As I stared back Into his deep exquisite eyes He gave a gentlemanly smile Dropped the fish Then waddled away. I saw him first Twirling in circles Beckoning with his beak Trying to make me follow So I did. He wrapped his wings around me His feathers brushed my face And I fell asleep. When I Write by Grace Wright (aged 11) When I write poetry I forget everything else I'm just letting my thoughts flow in beat and rhyme I let my ideas shape themselves into a poem I let everything go and forget about time. I can't understand why certain things happen Why the people had to die, why the families had to pay Why those people are so angry, It's the very worst way To express their deepest anger by burning up the day. I find that writing poetry can sometimes soothe that feeling Or sometimes like the paper answers back By poetry, the answers to the biggest questions can be revealed Poetry could calm the world if everyone thought like that. I Am, I Can by Francesca Thirley (aged 8) I'm as colourful as a rainbow that's dancing in the sky. I'm as round as a ball that's bouncing as high as Mount Everest. I'm as flat as a pancake that's been rolled over one million times by a giant hair roller. I'm as red as the sun that's been hit by a giant paint ball. I can fly like an areoplane that's going three million miles an hour. I can dance like Michael Jackson with shoes that click. I'm as gold as an earring that's been polished.  Chef's Special by Laura Dean (aged 10) I'm really quite partial to hog; I prefer it to eels or hot-dog. On the other hand toad- in-the-hole a-la-mode is perfect prepared with fresh frog. In Sixty Years Time by Gemma Bray (aged 8) I am now not very fashionable Just very, very plain I like to go my own way And find I am insane I now have 2 children And their children too They like me a lot And I like them too. Aching by Jean Huang (aged 12) Sometimes I ache and it hurts me so. Sometimes my throat aches And I can't talk. I wish I could just let it out. Every breath I take feels like a thousand knives cutting at my throat It stings and makes my throat blood red. Sometimes my feet ache. I can't go outside and play so I stay inside and read a book. But I can't concentrate because of the pain. Sometimes my head aches And I can't do anything. Even the softest music sounds like a hive of bees buzzing, screaming inside my head Sometimes I ache and it hurts me so but I think the worst ache of all is when I ache from deep down inside Embarrassment by Rosanna Morley-Norris (aged 9) I am the red hot burning in your face spreading like wild fire And I am your staring, watering eyes looking at people laughing helplessly at you. I make you point your burning face to the ground I make you turn away in shame. I am the signs of embarrassment War by Amy Kakoura (aged 11) I step out of my space in the mud for a bed, And peer out of our trench. Soon, I will run out there, To win the war. I run out onto the battlefield, My head and heart held high. Willing to serve my Queen and country, No matter what. I lie in a ditch on the edge of the battlefield, Unable to Cry for help. My head swims, Goodbye, cruel world. Treat each day as if it were your last, That is what they say. Now I am here, And I don't need to act. I drag myself into my trench, Dizzy with pain. Nobody by me, to grieve me, All alone, in a dark corner. Now I know I will die, All my dreams, Gone! It is hopeless, I lay in the mud. Be grateful for your chances, And opportunities. I will never have any of those, This is my grave. Soon, all my troubles, Will be washed away with my blood. Soon I will be happy, Along with all the people I killed. So that is that, The end of my journey. And as the first raindrops fall, My eyes close. The Year's Virtues by Sara Ness (aged 10) (A Haiku Sequence) Winter Snowflakes drifting down Wet bits of ice on my face. Winter has arrived. Spring Beauty springs anew. Flowers bursting into bloom on a snowy earth. Summer Hot, beautiful days. Warm rain falls upon the earth. Birds sing in the trees. Fall Brightly colored leaves softly falling to the ground. Fall is here at last. Seasons Earth boasts its beauty. Winter, summer, spring, and fall. Make year-round beauty. Autumn Winds by Hannah (aged 11) The city is calm but soon the autumnal winds will rise upon us. Whooshing through the land the wind blows down all the leaves for children to crunch! The wind is swirling and vigorous puffs of wind, blow heads off old plants. Be warm in autumn, hats, scarves and gran's knitted gloves, let's go out to play! Old Age by Sara Ness (aged 10) Creeping up on you Silent, on cat's feet And then, BOO! It's got you in its clutches And you can't get free. The Sun Kitten by Holly (aged 9) She calmly wakes up yawns and stretches. Pokes her head through the dark dingy clouds. She sends her bright tortoiseshell shine over the world. She glitters the grass and sparkles the trees. She now goes through the light Cushiony clouds And watches the whole world in happiness The Back-garden Troll by Sam Feldman (aged 11) There is a troll living in my back garden, but only I can see her. She is not big, nothing like the ones I imagine. She is very graceful, with shining blonde hair, glimmering in the fading light. But she is very lonely. I am her only friend. Pearly tears fill he eyes during the night. Maybe one day she will find another troll. Maybe another girl troll, with the same glint in her eye. But until then, I am her only friend. A Teacher Dreams by Jessica McComish (aged 8) A Teacher Dreams of her class being good and listening well A Teacher Dreams that her class could go on a School Trip to Ibiza She Dreams that two children from her class would own up for what they did Sometimes she Dreams of running away from her class and staying off for two weeks! She Dreams that her class could be good and the day would never end She always Dreams of the end of the day and when she can get away from her class A Teacher Dreams a lot She Dreams a lot about her Class A Teacher Dreams I See The Ocean Wide and Blue by Joe Tayler (aged 11) (A poem about Canada) I see the ocean wide and blue I see the small whitecaps breaking on the tide I see almost barren rocks cape I see a land garnished in peat moss I see a land of cracked rock and permafrost, I see a terra firma of rocks and shrub and tide. I see the ocean, wide and blue, I see a land with the ocean breaking on its edge, I see a land of green and brown, A land of forest, tree and mountain, I see a land of desert and glacier. I see the ocean wide and blue, I see a land of flowers and land and crop, I see a land of green and brown, white and yellow I see a volcano of rock and magna red lava, I see a land of weather-worn rock undisturbed for centuries. I see the ocean wide and blue I see a land of many climates I see a land of few I see a land of nature I see a land of green and tan beaches I see a land of ice I see a land of prosperous nature I see the ocean wide and blue I see a land of watery lakes, I see a land of green rocky valleys I see a land of tree, beaver and pond I see a land of few people I see a land of still waters I see a land that has sunken forests I see the ocean wide and blue I see a land of boulders and green I see a land of rocky cliffs by the sea I see a land of meadows, salt or other, I see a land of glacial age. The Dolphin by Kristen Blackshaw (aged 12) Behold the dolphin's glistening world: Shimmering beneath the waves, Its silky, silvery, sky-blue skin, Its eyes sparkling like diamonds. The nose, tail and cool blue fins, Enlighten the icy ocean, They fall like brilliant clear raindrops, And ripple the calm, still water. They rise as wanton as they fall, And as the bright warm sunsets, The silhouettes fly high, very dark against the sun, The dolphin's call fills the sea once more. Don't Whip Me by Gayatri Chakravarty You can't put too much pressure on me. I have a life just like you do. You use me for riding and for fun. I'm loyal to you and you will need me. But I can't endure the pain of the whip. I run fast and I can help you on time But if you don't need me, you neglect me. Why are you so selfish and careless about me? Take good care of me, and I'll be helpful. If you whip me I'll become more weak. Don't whip me...Don't whip me...Don't whip me A Batty Bat by Suchaita Tenneti I'm a very special pet because I don't live in a house, I live out in the garden with a dog and a mouse. On the roof top or in tall trees-that's where I love to be Because I'm a bat, you see. I belong to a family who live in a beautiful little home And when they're sound asleep at night, through their passages I do roam. I have a long snout and huge wings, And I'm regarded as a curious thing. I'm a batty bat-that's what I am! And I feast on blood, not bread or jam. One night, I was hanging from a lamp and the little boy had said, "Mummy, there's a giant butterfly over my head!" Dragon by Carla Morgan (aged 12) I am a small, shy Dragon called Starlo, I supposedly don't exist But here I am, I'm staying, I've heard legends that I am famous here in Wales And have even got a beer named after me (Double-Dragon) I Don't think I am to fierce But I frighten those who don't know me I have piercing jade green eyes And long purple eyebrows that wiggle up and down. Many years ago there were lots of dragons around but not so many now My tail is long, long ever so long And the star flickers on my tail as I move my huge purple feet. The animals seem impressed and watch my starry tail which glows and glows I live near the forest and watch the moon go down as I sleep silently tonight How To Wash A Hamster by Gwen Step 1: A story from the wise one [my little brother at that] He says to take it by the leg and give it a shower cap. Step 2: You place it in the shower and turn the water on very low. Turn on a little bit of hot, and a little bit of cold. Step 3: You give it a little soap, shampoo to wash its hair, and wait until it's done, and now your almost there. Step 4: Now you give it a towel make sure it dries off well, 'cause mommy will be mad if there's water everywhere. Step 5: Now its time to go back and put it in its cage, and that's the story of the wise one. OH IT'S JUST A PHASE!!! Dolphins by Sarah (aged 10) dolphins dive and flip through blue water they spin and roll swimming as they go Shark! Haiku by Emma and Katie (aged 10) sly threatening shark bone crunching, blood spitting fish leader of the sea! Sharks by Candice Blue murky waters It is a big carnivore They are all different colours Bats by Nicholas Bats live in China Bats are furry all over Bats live in Texas Crocodiles by Jeff Brown crocodile Eats anything it can get It lives in Asia Bears by Kylee Bears have straight noses They are related to dogs Cheek teeth are flat Alligators by Zachary Green alligators They live in North America Eats almost anything Tigers by Moriah Yellowish-orange Cold marshy places, grasslands Found in Sumatra Gorilla by Jared Silver, black, fluffy Eats banana leaves each day Lives in Africa Cheetah by Chelsea Yellow with black spots Running as fast as lightning Runs through forest lands Lion by Philip Brown-yellow mammal It jumps twelve feet in a bound Overgrown kitten Monkey by Puja Eats insects and eggs Found in South America Baboons will eat meat Piranhas by Molly Vass (aged 11) These horrible little creatures! Sharp toothed, blood thirsty Piranhas! They swim around in tropical pools, waiting For unsuspecting victims To step in And they chomp away the flesh! No longer do I jump Into lakes! Koala by Maggie Gray, white teddy bear Climbing up the gumtree Eating leaves each night Killer Whales by Joseph The black white whale, cool Lives by the poles to eat food Eats meat and kills food Falcon by Thomas (aged 11) 110mph It dives through the sky. It searches for its prey. Its face looks like a warrior marching into a great battle but yet it is so graceful. It spots its prey 110 120 130 140 mph closer and closer it gets to its scrambling victim. Now the fierce warrior flips on its back using its needle sharp talons it stabs its prey. The prey is falling falling falling falling closer and closer to the ground. It lands with a thump. The falcon swoops down to claim its prize Grandpa's Fishtank by Claire (aged 10) Rocks, plants, Lighthouse, water; Grandpa's Fishtank. Angelfish, black tetra, mucker, Goldfish, Zebra, bug-eyed fish; Grandpa's fish. Swimming, breathing, eating; The life of Grandpa's fish In Grandpa's Fish tank. Birds by Nicole Garcia (aged 9) Birds, birds, those extravagant birds. Bluejays, cardinals and more. When I'm in the blues I go outside and listen to their singing. Birds, Birds, birds, those extravagant birds. Bluejays, cardinals and more. Birds, birds, those extravagant love birds in all different colours. I'm dancing so peacefully, to your songs so beautifully. Birds, birds, all those extravagant birds thanks for coming to Earth. My Favourite Horse by Imogen Giles (aged 8) My favourite horse is as black as the night fire blazing in his eyes fury locked inside him His ears go low desert born and wild strength lingering in him He rears and gallops off His whistle of a challenge has a heart of stone trusts only one person which it was born to know. His bulky body rises as he kicks the air snorting he shows the whites of his eyes and gallops off to the west. A shadow of darkness it seems to be like the devil himself. Satan is he called? Hippo by Laura Branco (aged 11) Hippo It eats, walks, sleeps Plays in the mud Pachyderm On strong limbs it rolls Spiders by Alana (aged 12) Silently creeping Silent, deadly, black widow Slowly going, gone Wings by Becky and Sophie Smith (aged 7 and 8) If I had wings                               I would fly as high as I could and go to see my Nan in heaven. If I had wings I would dance across the  sky like a bright orange butterfly. If I had wings I would smell the sun and feel the hotness. If I had wings I  would lie on the cloud all day and play in the sun Would you like to zoom back to the top?