Dirección General de Cultura y Educación

Subsecretaría de Educación
Dirección Provincial de Educación Primaria

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

Under my hood I have a hat

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

1
Material elaborado por el equipo de especialistas de la Dirección Provincial de Educación Primaria - Área Inglés: G. Beacon, F.
Perduca y M.L. Spoturno
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,
Tall, tall grass.
 One, Two, Three, Four
Ice cream (Traditional Nursery Rhyme)
One, two, three, four, five,
I Scream,
Once I caught a fish alive!
You scream,
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
We all scream,
Then I let it go again.
For ICE CREAM!
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”

By Wendy Cope “According to my mood”
I am a poet, By Benjamin Zephaniah
I am very fond of bananas.
I have poetic license,
I am bananas,
I Write thE way i waNt.
I am very fond of a poet.
I drop my full stops where i like ..........
I am a poet of bananas. MY CAPITAL letteRs go where i liKE,
I am very fond. I order from MY PEN,
I verse the way i like
A fond poet of 'I am, I am' - (i do my spelling write)
Very bananas. According to My Mood.
Fond of Am I bananas I Have poetic license,
Am I? - a very poet. I put my commers where i like,,((())).
(((my brackets are write((
Bananas of a poet! I REPEAT When i likE.
Am I fond? Am I very? I can´t go rong.
Poet bananas! I am I look and i. c.
I am fond of a 'very'. It’s rite.
I Repeat when i liKE. I have
I am of very fond bananas. Poetic license!
Am I a poet? Don´t question me????
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
“The British” like different foods to eat
(By Benjamin Zephaniah) new words to speak
and – oh yeah – karate!
Take some Picts, Celts and Silures which is Japanese – not Chinese
And let them settle, and I don't like it too much
Then overrun them with Roman conquerors. 'cause you gotta kick real high
but I like the clothes
Remove the Romans after approximately 400 years
you have to wear
Add lots of Norman French to some
I go over to his house
Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings, then stir vigorously.
to play video games
Mix some hot Chileans, cool Jamaicans, Dominicans, he comes over to my house
Trinidadians and Bajans with some Ethiopians, Chinese, to eat and to watch cartoons
Vietnamese and Sudanese. My friend in school
is Johnny Tse
Then take a blend of Somalians, Sri Lankans, Nigerians which sounds like C
And Pakistanis, or see or sea
Combine with some Guyanese or sí (that's Spanish)
And turn up the heat. if you didn't know)
Sprinkle some fresh Indians, Malaysians, Bosnians, My friend in school
Iraqis and Bangladeshis together with some is Johnny Tse
Afghans, Spanish, Turkish, Kurdish, Japanese he's Chinese
And Palestinians and likes to sneeze
Then add to the melting pot. and when he does that
Leave the ingredients to simmer. in school or outside
we laugh and laugh
As they mix and blend allow their languages to flourish and people wonder what
Binding them together with English. and wonder why and
what's so funny all the time.
Allow time to be cool.

Add some unity, understanding, and respect for the

future,
Serve with justice
And enjoy.

Note: All the ingredients are equally important. Treating

one ingredient better than another will leave a bitter
unpleasant taste.

Warning: An unequal spread of justice will damage the

people and cause pain. Give justice and equality to all.
“The Computer’s First Christmas Card”
(Edwin Morgan)

jollymerry
hollyberry
jollyberry
merryholly
happyholly
jollyjelly
jellybelly
bellymerry
hollyheppy
jollyMerry
marryJerry
merryHarry
hoppyBarry
heppyJarry
bobbyheppy
berryjorry
jorryjolly
moppyjelly
Mullymerry
Jerryjolly
bellyboppy
jorryhoppy
hollymoppy
Barrymerry
Jarryhappy
happyboppy
boppyjolly
jollymerry
merrymerry
merrymerry
By Mary Ann Hoberman
merryChris
ammerryasa
Chrismerry
asMERRYCHR
YSANTHEMUM
“Lullaby” (Fragment) “I, Too”
By Langston Hughes
The earth is your mother,
She holds you. I, too, sing America.
The sky is your father,
he protects you. I am the darker brother.
Sleep. They send me to eat in the kitchen
sleep. When company comes,
Rainbow is your sister, But I laugh.
she loves you. And eat well,
The winds are your brothers, And grow strong.
they sing to you.
Sleep, Tomorrow,
sleep. I’ll be at the table
We are together always When company comes.
We are together always Nobody'll dare
There never was a time Say to me,
when this "Eat in the kitchen,"
was not so. Then.

By Leslie Marmon Silko Besides,

They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed --

I, too, am America.

“Siesta of a Hungarian Snake”

s sz sz SZ sz SZ sz ZS zs Zs zs zs z

By Edwin Morgan

“Chinese Cat” By Edwin Morgan

pmrkgniaou
pmrkgniao
pmrkniao
pmrniao
pmriao
pmiao
maio
mao
“Ten Things Found in a Shipwrecked Sailor’s Pocket” “My Noisy Brother”
By Ian Mcmillan By Bruce Lansky

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.
 The Sound Collector
By Roger McGough
A stranger called this morning
Dressed all in black and grey
Put every sound into a bag
And carried them away.
The whistling of the kettle
The turning of the lock
The purring of the kitten
The ticking of the clock
The popping of the toaster
The crunching of the flakes
When you spread the marmalade
The scraping noise it makes
The hissing of the frying-pan
The ticking of the grill
The bubbling of the bathtub
As it starts to fill
The drumming of the raindrops
On the window-pane
When you do the washing-up
The gurgle of the drain
The crying of the baby
The squeaking of the chair
The swishing of the curtain
The creaking of the stair
A stranger called this morning
He didn't leave his name
Left us only silence
Life will never be the same.
Ask Mummy Ask Daddy
By John Agard
When I ask Daddy
Daddy says ask Mummy
When I ask Mummy
Mummy says ask Daddy.
I don't know where to go.
Better ask my teddy
He never says no.
I've Got A Cold
By Roger McGough
I've got a cold
And it's not funny
My throat is numb
My nose is runny
My ears are burning
My fingers are itching
My teeth are wobbly
My eyebrows are twitching
My kneecaps have slipped
My bottom's like jelly
The button's come off
My silly old belly
My chin has doubled
My toes are twisted
My ankles have swollen
My elbows are blistered
My back is all spotty
My hair's turning white
I sneeze through the day
And cough through the night
I've got a cold
And I'm going insane
(Apart from all that
I'm as right as rain.)
Traditional skipping rhymes
Tell me, tell me, tell me true.
How old, how old, how old are you?
One, two, three, four, five…
Down in the valley
Where the green grass grows,
There sat Tracy
Sweet as a rose.
She sang, she sang,
She sang so sweet.
Along came Ben
And kissed her cheek.
How many kisses did he give her?
One, two, three, four, five.
Cloud Dragons
(By Pat Mora)
What do you see
in the clouds so high?
What do you see in the sky?
Oh, I see dragons
that curl their tails
as they go slithering by.
What do you see
in the clouds so high?
What do you see? Tell me, do.
Oh, I see caballitos
that race the wind
high in the shimmering blue.
Abuelita’s Lap
(By Pat Mora)
I know a place where I can sit
and tell about my day,
tell every color that I saw
from green to cactus gray.
I know a place where I can sit
and hear a favorite beat,
from heart and cuentos from the past,
the rhymes honey-sweet.
I know a place where I can sit
and listen to a star,
listen to its silent song,
gliding from afar.
I know a place where I can sit
and hear the wind go by,
hearing it spinning round my house,
my whirling lullaby.
Colors Crackle, Colors Roar
(By Pat Mora)
Red shouts a loud, balloon-round sound.
Black crackles like noisy grackles.
Café clickety-clicks its wooden sticks.
Yellow sparks and sizzles, tzz-tzz.
White sings, Ay, her high, light note.
Verde rustles leaf-secrets, swhish, swhish.
Gris whis-whis-whispers its kitten whiskers.
Silver ting-ting-a-ling jingles.
Azul coo-coo-coos like pajaritos do.
Purple thunders and rum-rum-rumbles.
Oro blares, a brassy, brass tuba.
Orange growls its striped, rolled roar.
Colors Crackle. Colors Roar.
4 Poems
by Pat Mora
Chocolate
Fudge, cake, pie, cookies.
Brown magic melts on your tongue.
Happy, your eyes dance.
Corn
Leaves sprout silk-snug house.
Smell grits, tortillas, corn bread.
Pass the butter, please.
Pineapple
A stiff, spiky hat
on thick prickly skin, inside
hide syrupy rings.
Prickly Pear
Red desert wonder.
Cactus fruit becomes syrup
and dulces. Surprise!
 “Trees are for Climbing” “Short story” ( By David R. Morgan)
By Dr.Fitzhugh Dodson
I
Trees are for climbing; wrote
a
Words are for rhyming,
great
Bikes are for riding. story
Bushes are for hiding. at
school
Blocks are for stacking, today
Suitcases are for packing. Mum
It
Clothes are for dressing, was
Riddles for guessing. 60
c
Bells are for clanging;
e
Drums are for banging. n
t
Stamps are for sticking,
i
Ice cream for licking. m
Shoes are for walking; e
t
A voice is for talking. r
Tears are for weeping; e
s
A bed is for sleeping. 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