Poems for Primary School1

Bubble Gum Penguin

By Tony Mitton By Meish Goldish

Bubble gum, bubble gum I know a bird

A big pink balloon That cannot fly:
Penguin is its name.
Bubble gum, bubble gum It cannot fly,
Round like the moon But it can swim
With speed that wins it fame!
Bubble gum, bubble gum I know a bird
A planet in space That lives on ice
And waddles by the sea.
Bubble gum, bubble gum It looks so cute
Bursting in your face. In its black and white suit,
As handsome as can be!

The Cupboard Winter Clothes

By Walter de la Mare By Karla Kuskin
I know a little cupboard,
With a teeny tiny key, Under my hood I have a hat
And there's a jar of Lollipops And under that
For me, me, me. My hair is flat
Under my coat
My sweater's blue
It has a little shelf, my dear, My sweater's red
As dark as dark can be, I'm wearing two
And there's a dish of Banbury Cakes My muffler muffles to my chin
For me, me, me. And round my neck
And then tucks in
My gloves are knitted
I have a small fat grandmamma, By my aunts
With a very slippery knee, And pants
And she's Keeper of the Cupboard, And pants
With the key, key, key. And boots
And shoes
with socks inside
And when I'm very good, my dear, The boots are rubber, red and wide
As good as good can be, And when I walk
There's Banbury Cakes, and Lollipops I must not fall
For me, me, me. Because I can't get up at all!

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Material recopilado por el equipo de especialistas de la Dirección Provincial de Educación Primaria - Área Inglés:
G. Beacon, F. Perduca y M.L. Spoturno.

Poems for Primary School – Dirección Provincial de Educación Primaria – DGCyE

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Forbidden Poem Every time I climb a tree
By Tony Mitton By David McCord

This poem is not for children. Every time I climb a tree

Keep Out! Every time I climb a tree
Every time I climb a tree
There is a big oak door I scrape a leg
in front of this poem. Or skin a knee
It’s locked. And every time I climb a tree
I find some ants
And on the door is a notice Or dodge a bee
in big red letters. And get the ants
It says: Any child who enters here All over me
will never be the same again. And every time I climb a tree
WARNING. KEEP OUT. Where have you been?
They say to me
But what’s this? But don't they know that I am free
A key in the keyhole. Every time I climb a tree?
And what’s more, I like it best
nobody’s about. To spot a nest
That has an egg
“Go on. Look,” Or maybe three
says a little voice And then I skin
inside your head. The other knee
“Surely a poem But every time I climb a tree
cannot strike you dead?” I see a lot of things to see
Swallows, rooftops and TV
You turn the key. And all the fields and farms there be
The door swings wide. Every time I climb a tree
And then you witness Thought climbing may be good for ants
what’s inside. It isn't awfully good for pants
But still it's pretty good for me
And from that day Every time I climb a tree
you’ll try in vain.
You’ll never be the same again.

Snow In the Tall, Tall Grass

By Mary Ann Hoberman By Denise Fleming
In the tall, tall grass…
Snow Crunch, munch, caterpillars lunch
Snow Dart, dip, hummingbirds sip
Lots of snow Strum, drum, bees hum
Everywhere we look and everywhere we go Crack, snap, wings flap
Snow on the sandbox Pull, tug, ants lug
Snow on the slide Slip, slide, snakes glide
Snow on the bicycle Ritch, ratch, moles scratch
Left outside Skitter, scurry, beetles hurry
Snow on the steps Zip, zap, tongues snap
And snow on my feet Hip, hop, ears flop
Snow on the sidewalk Stop, go, fireflies glow
Snow on the sidewalk Lunge, loop, bats swoop.
Snow on the sidewalk Stars bright, moonlight…
Down the street. Good night,

Poems for Primary School – Dirección Provincial de Educación Primaria – DGCyE

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 Tall, tall grass.
Ice cream One, Two, Three, Four
Traditional Nursery Rhyme
I Scream,
One, two, three, four, five,
You scream,
Once I caught a fish alive!
We all scream,
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
For ICE CREAM!
Then I let it go again.
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so!
Which finger did it bite?
The little finger on the right.

We Know This is my rock

By Benjamin Zephaniah By David McCord

Monkeys are not doing it, This is my rock

Snakes are not doing it, And here I run
Neither are beetles or fleas, To steal the secret of the sun.
Lizards are not doing it,
Birds are not doing it, This is my rock
They know that we need the trees, And here come I
Mice are not doing it, Before the night has swept the sky.
Lice are not doing it,
Cats are not doing it This is my rock
Honest, This is the place
Bats are not doing it, I meet the evening face to face.
I know who´s doing it,
Humans are killing the forest.

The Uncertainty of a Poet According to my mood

By Wendy Cope By Benjamin Zephaniah
I am a poet,
I am very fond of bananas. I have poetic license,
I Write thE way i waNt.
I am bananas, I drop my full stops where i like ..........
I am very fond of a poet. MY CAPITAL letteRs go where i liKE,
I order from MY PEN,
I am a poet of bananas.
I verse the way i like
I am very fond.
(i do my spelling write)
A fond poet of 'I am, I am' - According to My Mood.
Very bananas. I Have poetic license,
I put my commers where i like,,((())).
Fond of Am I bananas
(((my brackets are write((
Am I? - a very poet.
I REPEAT When i likE.
Bananas of a poet! I can´t go rong.
Am I fond? Am I very? I look and i. c.
It’s rite.
Poet bananas! I am I Repeat when i liKE. I have
I am fond of a 'very'. Poetic license!
I am of very fond bananas. Don´t question me????

Poems for Primary School – Dirección Provincial de Educación Primaria – DGCyE

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 Am I a poet?
With a Poet’s Eye: A Tate Gallery Anthology
presents paintings and poems side by side. This
poem was inspired by the painting of the same
name by Giorgio de Chirico (1913). August 1985

My friend in school
By Tony Medina

My friend in school
is Johnny Tse
you say it like
the letter C
he's Chinese
I like that 'cause I learn
new things from him
like different foods to eat
new words to speak
and – oh yeah – karate!
The British which is Japanese – not Chinese
By Benjamin Zephaniah and I don't like it too much
'cause you gotta kick real high
Take some Picts, Celts and Silures but I like the clothes
And let them settle, you have to wear
Then overrun them with Roman conquerors. I go over to his house
to play video games
Remove the Romans after approximately 400 years he comes over to my house
Add lots of Norman French to some to eat and to watch cartoons
Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings, then stir My friend in school
vigorously. is Johnny Tse
which sounds like C
Mix some hot Chileans, cool Jamaicans, or see or sea
Dominicans, or sí (that's Spanish)
Trinidadians and Bajans with some Ethiopians, if you didn't know)
Chinese, My friend in school
Vietnamese and Sudanese. is Johnny Tse
he's Chinese
Then take a blend of Somalians, Sri Lankans, and likes to sneeze
Nigerians and when he does that
And Pakistanis, in school or outside
Combine with some Guyanese we laugh and laugh
And turn up the heat. and people wonder what
and wonder why and
Sprinkle some fresh Indians, Malaysians, Bosnians, what's so funny all the time.
Iraqis and Bangladeshis together with some
Afghans, Spanish, Turkish, Kurdish, Japanese
And Palestinians
Then add to the melting pot.
Leave the ingredients to simmer.

As they mix and blend allow their languages to

flourish

Poems for Primary School – Dirección Provincial de Educación Primaria – DGCyE

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Binding them together with English.
Introduction
Allow time to be cool. By Mary Ann Hoberman

Add some unity, understanding, and respect for the

future, Here’s a book
Serve with justice With something new
And enjoy.
You read to me!
Note: All the ingredients are equally important.
Treating one ingredient better than another will I’ ll read to you
leave a bitter unpleasant taste.
We’ll read each page
Warning: An unequal spread of justice will damage To one another
the people and cause pain. Give justice and
equality to all. You’ll read one side

I the other

But who will read

Now guess this riddle
When the words are
In the middle?

The answer’s easy!

Plain as pie!

We’ll read together

You and I.

The Computer’s First Christmas Card I, Too

Edwin Morgan By Langston Hughes
I, too, sing America.
jollymerry
hollyberry I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
jollyberry When company comes,
merryholly But I laugh.
happyholly And eat well,
And grow strong.
jollyjelly
jellybelly Tomorrow,
bellymerry I’ll be at the table
hollyheppy When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
jollyMerry Say to me,
marryJerry "Eat in the kitchen,"
merryHarry Then.
hoppyBarry Besides,
heppyJarry They'll see how beautiful I am
bobbyheppy And be ashamed --
I, too, am America.

Poems for Primary School – Dirección Provincial de Educación Primaria – DGCyE

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 berryjorry
jorryjolly Siesta of a Hungarian Snake
By Edwin Morgan
moppyjelly
Mullymerry s sz sz SZ sz SZ sz ZS zs Zs zs zs
Jerryjolly z
bellyboppy
jorryhoppy
hollymoppy
Barrymerry
Jarryhappy
happyboppy
boppyjolly
jollymerry
merrymerry
merrymerry
merryChris
ammerryasa
Chrismerry
asMERRYCHR
YSANTHEMUM

Lullaby (Fragment) Chinese Cat

By Leslie Marmon Silko By Edwin Morgan

The earth is your mother, pmrkgniaou

She holds you. pmrkgniao
The sky is your father, pmrkniao
he protects you.
pmrniao
Sleep.
sleep. pmriao
Rainbow is your sister, pmiao
she loves you. maio
The winds are your brothers,
they sing to you. mao
Sleep,
sleep.
We are together always
We are together always
There never was a time
when this
was not so.

Poems for Primary School – Dirección Provincial de Educación Primaria – DGCyE

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Ten Things Found in a Shipwrecked Sailor’s My Noisy Brother
Pocket By Bruce Lansky
By Ian Mcmillan

A litre of sea. My brother's such a noisy kid,

An unhappy jellyfish. when he eats soup he slurps.
A small piece of a lifeboat. When he drinks milk he gargles.
A pencil wrapped around with seaweed. And after meals he burps.
A soaking feather. He cracks his knuckles when he's bored.
The first page of a book called Swimming is Easy. He whistles when he walks.
A folded chart showing dangerous rocks. He snaps his fingers when he sings.
A photograph of a little girl in a red dress. and when he's mad he squawks.
A gold coin. At night my brother snores so loud
A letter from a mermaid. it sounds just like a riot.
Even when he sleeps
my noisy brother isn't quiet.

Poems for Primary School – Dirección Provincial de Educación Primaria – DGCyE

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The Sound Collector I've Got A Cold
By Roger McGough By Roger McGough

A stranger called this morning

I've got a cold
Dressed all in black and grey
And it's not funny
Put every sound into a bag
And carried them away. My throat is numb
My nose is runny
The whistling of the kettle
The turning of the lock My ears are burning
The purring of the kitten My fingers are itching
The ticking of the clock
My teeth are wobbly
The popping of the toaster My eyebrows are twitching
The crunching of the flakes
When you spread the marmalade My kneecaps have slipped
The scraping noise it makes My bottom's like jelly

The hissing of the frying-pan The button's come off

The ticking of the grill My silly old belly
The bubbling of the bathtub
My chin has doubled
As it starts to fill
My toes are twisted
The drumming of the raindrops
My ankles have swollen
On the window-pane
My elbows are blistered
When you do the washing-up
The gurgle of the drain My back is all spotty
My hair's turning white
The crying of the baby
The squeaking of the chair I sneeze through the day
The swishing of the curtain And cough through the night
The creaking of the stair
I've got a cold
A stranger called this morning And I'm going insane
He didn't leave his name
Left us only silence (Apart from all that
Life will never be the same. I'm as right as rain.)

Ask Mummy Ask Daddy Traditional skipping rhymes

By John Agard
Tell me, tell me, tell me true.
How old, how old, how old are you?
When I ask Daddy
One, two, three, four, five…
Daddy says ask Mummy
Down in the valley
When I ask Mummy Where the green grass grows,
Mummy says ask Daddy. There sat Tracy
I don't know where to go. Sweet as a rose.
She sang, she sang,
Better ask my teddy She sang so sweet.
He never says no. Along came Ben
And kissed her cheek.
How many kisses did he give her?
One, two, three, four, five.

Poems for Primary School – Dirección Provincial de Educación Primaria – DGCyE

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Cloud Dragons Colors Crackle, Colors Roar
By Pat Mora By Pat Mora

What do you see Red shouts a loud, balloon-round sound.

in the clouds so high? Black crackles like noisy grackles.
What do you see in the sky? Café clickety-clicks its wooden sticks.
Yellow sparks and sizzles, tzz-tzz.
Oh, I see dragons White sings, Ay, her high, light note.
that curl their tails Verde rustles leaf-secrets, swhish, swhish.
as they go slithering by. Gris whis-whis-whispers its kitten whiskers.
Silver ting-ting-a-ling jingles.
What do you see Azul coo-coo-coos like pajaritos do.
in the clouds so high? Purple thunders and rum-rum-rumbles.
What do you see? Tell me, do. Oro blares, a brassy, brass tuba.
Orange growls its striped, rolled roar.
Oh, I see caballitos Colors Crackle. Colors Roar.
that race the wind
high in the shimmering blue.

Abuelita’s Lap 4 Poems

By Pat Mora By Pat Mora

I know a place where I can sit

and tell about my day, Chocolate
tell every color that I saw Fudge, cake, pie, cookies.
from green to cactus gray. Brown magic melts on your tongue.
Happy, your eyes dance.
I know a place where I can sit
and hear a favorite beat,
from heart and cuentos from the past, Corn
the rhymes honey-sweet. Leaves sprout silk-snug house.
Smell grits, tortillas, corn bread.
I know a place where I can sit Pass the butter, please.
and listen to a star,
listen to its silent song,
gliding from afar. Pineapple
A stiff, spiky hat
I know a place where I can sit on thick prickly skin, inside
and hear the wind go by, hide syrupy rings.
hearing it spinning round my house,
my whirling lullaby.
Prickly Pear
Red desert wonder.
Cactus fruit becomes syrup
and dulces. Surprise!

Poems for Primary School – Dirección Provincial de Educación Primaria – DGCyE

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 Trees are for Climbing Short story
By Dr.Fitzhugh Dodson By David R. Morgan

Trees are for climbing; I

wrote
Words are for rhyming,
a
Bikes are for riding. great
Bushes are for hiding. story
at
Blocks are for stacking, school
Suitcases are for packing. today
Mum
Clothes are for dressing, It
Riddles for guessing. was
60
Bells are for clanging; c
Drums are for banging. e
n
Stamps are for sticking, t
Ice cream for licking. i
m
Shoes are for walking; e
A voice is for talking. t
r
Tears are for weeping; e
A bed is for sleeping. s
long
Milk is for drinking;
A brain is for thinking.

The Planet of Mars

By Shel Silverstein

On the planet of Mars

They have clothes just like ours
And they have the same shoes and the same laces,
And they have the same charms and the same graces,
And they have the same heads and the same faces…
But not in the
Very same
Places

Poems for Primary School – Dirección Provincial de Educación Primaria – DGCyE

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