POETRY VERSE AND RHYME FOR CHILDREN.

 

 

                    

 

 

 

This page of my site is specifically to showcase some of the poetry I have composed for children and lovers of childrens verse.

 

 

            

                  

I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I have enjoyed writing them.

 

WEYMOUTH SANDS

 

 

Us kids all went to weymouth to build castles in the sand

 with our pockets full of shillings in days when life was grand

 we took our sandwiches and honey wrapped up in paper towels

 we counted all our blessings then and waved at all the cows

 

the journey was delightful with pastures all the way

sheep and ponies in the paddocks and OH what a holiday

 the sun was out and shining the clouds were cotton wool

 my brother brought his lizard pet and i brought my comics too

 

 the town was full of people there were deck chairs by the sand

 you could smell the sea spray in the breeze and hear the big brass SALVATION  band

 we saw the fairgrounds carousel and bought a currant bun

there were lots of ice cream vendors there and a fat man on a drum

 

 the sand was so inviting and the sea was warm and clean

 there were tourists in the shops nearby it was a most delightful scene

 i saw the punch and Judy show set up there on the sands

there was lots of candy floss and pop with gals in summer gowns

 

 weymouth sure looked beautiful such a busy little town

there were open top buses flying by with children cheering too

my brother built a sand castle and my sister played the fool

 

 the boats were sailing in the bay and the cliffs looked quite a sight

 i was playing in the sea and the crabs of my toes they had a bite

 ouch

 

 

NURSERY TALES

 

 

 

A blind man at the table

a beggar at the door

the storytellers leaving

the children ask for more

 

the sun it shone since Friday

the rivers running by

the robin sang for breakfast

a song for you and i

 

don't ask me many questions

for the answers are plain to see

one duck went a walking

one ship sailed out to sea

 

don't look out for the master

the children came to call

one kid on a pony

the other with his ball

 

so play the guitar softly

sing a song of cheer

the boozers in the alley

the sailors saying cheers

 

four and twenty maidens

all pretty to declare

one boys in the stable yard

the others are at the fair

 

so curtsy to the queen my gal

show your ankle sweet

there's cows out in the meadows

the orchards apples sweet

 

JUST LIKE A CHILD

 

if i could live just like a child

with innocence and fancy wild

if i could dance upon a prayer

walk the lanes of heather

take you there

 

if i could dream and make them come true

then grant you wishes out of the blue

if i could play upon the green

with bill and Ben and the may queen

if i could write a million rhymes

then send them on upon a time

 

when kings and queens all rode the land

where roses grow in garland strands

where imps and fairies float away

across the ships moored in the bay

then we would have a holiday

 

just like a child so pure and new

id take your hand and follow you

you'd tell me tales of long ago

id put my trust in you

then in my dreams id grow n grow

 

The Frock By BRENDA WILLS

 

Its Thursday morning and the sun just got up

Sleep was tough, for Sparky and Brenda

The night crept in and tugged at us

So we went and laid down our little heads

 

Sparky heard that spring is coming

Decided to make a new fairy frock

She was up until the others slept

With shears and needles and a piece of rock

 

The silk is gone from the cupboard in the corner

Where I keep the scraps from bygone orders

The color is blue and sparkly and gold

If I remember if it be told

 

So watch the gardens as the day grows thin

Cause that little fairy is gone off to sleep

Tonight she will glitter in that new silk thing

I hope you catch her peeping in!

 

 

JACK

 

jack was nimble

jack was quick

but he burnt his bum

on that candlestick

 

Jill was crazy

Jill was fun

she fell down

and hurt her bum

 

tom was fat

and tom was weak

he lost his voice

and couldn't speak

 

why have cows got four legs

i don't know do you

you don't know

i don't know

neither does the cow

 

 

children playing

 

 

 

 

i saw the children play today

so frolics and so fun

i saw their joy and laughter

watched their merry dance begun

 

it was like there was no time

and that today was not yet born

i watched them idle away the hours

cast a fair old wishing spell

 

saw them dance amongst the corn tops

and grasp every fleeting hour

their chase and run was endless

and their imaginations were set free

they wished the minutes past them

then laughed and played once more

oh the time it stood still

 

though the night was drifting by

i heard their laughter

i saw their minds at play

it was springtime in the rockies

and the summer holiday

 

 

 

 

 

PLAY TIMES.  

 

 
They ran in the sunshine they splashed in the puddles

 they picked all the Flowers their lives just begun

  they smiled in the sunshine they splashed in the rain

 they joined hands together they ran down the lane 

 

 they awoke every morning to greet the new day

 they laughed in the shadows they rolled in the hay

  they skipped and they frolicked their dreams were as one

 they giggled and frolicked oh did they have fun   they shared all their sweets there

 

 they shared all their tears

 they joined in the fun there over those years 

  they sang songs together nursery rhymes too

 little BO peep and little boy boy.

 

 

  

 

 

THE OWL AND THE PUSSY CAT

 

 

 

 The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea

 In a beautiful pea green boat,

 They took some honey, and plenty of money,

 Wrapped up in a five pound note.

 

 The Owl looked up to the stars above,

 And sang to a small guitar,

 'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,

 What a beautiful Pussy you are,

 You are, You are!

 What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

 

 Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!

How charmingly sweet you sing!

 O let us be married! too long we have tarried:

 But what shall we do for a ring?'

 

 They sailed away, for a year and a day,

To the land where the Bong-tree grows

 And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood

 With a ring at the end of his nose, His nose,

 His nose, With a ring at the end of his nose.

 

  'Dear pig, are you willing

to sell for one shilling Your ring?'

 Said the Piggy, 'I will.'

So they took it away,

 and were married next day

By the Turkey who lives on the hill.

 

 They dined on mince, and slices of quince,

Which they ate with a runcible spoon;

 And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,

 They danced by the light of the moon, The moon,

 The moon, They danced by the light of the moon 

 

EDWARD LEAR

 

NURSERY TALES

 

A blind man at the table a beggar at the door

the storytellers leaving the children ask for more

 the sun it shone since Friday the rivers running by

 the robin sang for breakfast a song for you and i

 

 don't ask me many questions for the answers are plain to see

 one duck went a walking one ship sailed out to sea

 don't look out for the master the children came to call

 one kid on a pony the other with his bat and ball

 

so play the guitar softly and sing a song of cheer

the boozers in the alley the sailors saying cheers

 

four and twenty maidens all pretty to declare

 one boys in the stable yard the others are at the fair

 so curtsy to the queen my gal show your ankle sweet

 there's cows out in the meadows the orchards apples sweet 

 
where as a kid i played 

    

 

    I remember the quarries

 and the little shaded nook

 the meadows where we built our dens

next to the little brook

 

 the trees that soared up to the skies

 where birds hid and built their nests

 the hidden place behind the church

where no one ever looked there best

  

each summertime on warehams walls

  where lizards all did squirm

 amongst the adder and the ferns

where the shiny fat slow worms

 

 all hid themselves from man and beast

 wherein the kids did play

 close by the river frome and stour

i remember as if it twer yesterday 

 

 

  

the canford walks with sandy lanes
and gorse bush spreading free

 where gypsy man and gypsy tan

 mixed so heavenly

 

 the hills and dips where robbers hid

 we as cowboys played at dawn

 where robins sang and everyone

 was happy in their place

 

  i remember it like yesterday
 as johnny onion came to call

 with bicycles laden rich

 with giant dangling onion balls

 

 the streets were narrow then

 and the hedges graced the fields

 where sparrows chirped each day at dawn

 and flew off window sills 

 

  the lights were dim

and green so blessed with ironmongery rich

 whilst sailors sailed from old Poole quay

whilst gals they took a hitch

 

 the rabbits ran across the downs

 whilst guns were fired at dawn

 whilst farmers chased the foxes

 and the daisies graced the lawns

 

  I remember summers long

when winter snow was thick

 we hid upon the bracken then

close by the liitle ditch

 

 our dens were neat and tidy

  with straw and mattress thick

 we ran the hills and downs of land

 that man took and sold off for rich 

 

 I recall the ins and outs

 the little shop nearby

 where sherbet dibs were squandered

 for some gals pleasant eye

 

 

 the running brooks and meadows sweet

 with rhododendrons nearby

 it vanished in a moment

as all the years went bye.

 

 

 

 Childhoods dream

 

 

 

  

Locked in their world of close circuit TV
 reality life and crude imagery

 far away from the streets of their play liberty 

 

 the jingles they play

whilst the media tells lies

 whilst their childhood is lost

 in their sadness and smiles

 

 the thunder it roared and the prophets foretold

 of days yet to be

 when childhood grew old 

 like the limbs on the trees

 and fields left to roam

 but the candle was dimmed

 and their visions where closed

 

 their masters and kinfolk

 guided their dreams

 with take away foods and horrific loud screams  

 

  there was food on the table

 and news on the spree

 where doctrines and war crimes

paraded for thee

 

 the masters of visions

 crafted their dreams

 with false words and logic

 no room for ice cream 

  

the songs and the rhymes

 were lost in the maze

 of corrupted lost childhoods

 in the latest whizz craze

 

 the songsters were singing the same dulcet tones

 with bleached hair and promises

wrapped up in gold poems

  

 the streets they were quiet

 no sounds of child's play

 another dream over at the end of the day

 

 whilst a comic gave rant

 and a poet he prayed

 for a childhood forsaken

 and a vision waylaid.      

 

   IN A LAND OF RHYME

 

 

I listened to the little people

who lived beneath rainbow hill

 where flowers grew on sandy lanes

 and the air was oh so still

 

where the sun shone o'er the mountains

 across the fields of green

where robins chirped their morning song

and winters came to soon

 

 

I heard their laughter giggles

 amongst the sky of blue

where rabbits hopped upon the downs

 and Betty lost her shoe

 

I smiled away the hours there

 listening to their song

where dreams were made on happiness

 and verse went on and on

 

the shadows never fell there

or cast their ugly spells

where Truth and love was granted

in words of love and song

 

the foxes chased each evening

 where streams were cool and clear

where seagulls soared across the skies

 with sounds of running deer

 

I heard the children's laughter and frolics on the downs

where heather grew in abundance on land owned by the crown

the world was set in motion

 when the tide was rich in spray

like heaven in its glory and ships docked in the bay.

 

 

 

The kids who Con -kered Dorset

 

They were the conkerers of Dorset

the children of the south

they collected all those conkers to save the lives of men

 and the prayers of spouse

 

during the war of trenches they collecting those conkers in the sun and rain

just seven and six a hundred weight

 each sack it saved a life again and again

 

 in the battlefields of poppies

 in the south of France

They sent them to the munitions factory

to cordite they became

to save the lives of soldiers and the bravest of brave men

 

Just a store set there in Holton heath by warehams leafy lanes

 

where cordite was explosive

 that saved the lives of men

 the Dorset children saved the day

 that's all i can explain

when they collected millions of conkers from Dorset's leafy lanes

 

 

 

 

 

 

        

 

WINNIE THE POOH

 

 

Today I Went to visit London Zoo

 Home of that great bear Winnie the Pooh

I Heard the story of before the first world war

when Winnie came to these old English shores

 

 Baby Winnie came from Winniepeg

The Canadian bear saved from the wilds

The soldier boy took him to his heart

then in that great war they had to part

 

 From Canada to Salisbury plains

 he nursed that baby and to regents park came

there Winnie the bear grew to fame

 in the hearts of children and minds of men

 

In Regents Park Zoo in London Town

 he grew in stature in the hearts of men

 children came to love him there

 that cuddly tame and lovely bear

 

 Mr Milne took his son Christopher Robin there

 with his boyish looks and his curly hair

Christopher loved that little bear

 more than lollipops or rides at the battersea fair

 

 Then when the soldier returned after the war

 he donated Winnie to London Zoo for sure

 Whilst London kids loved that wee little bear

 Mr Milne wrote his tales of Pooh the Bear

In Honor of Winnie the Canadian Bear

You can see his statue in the children's zoo there.

 

 

      

 

VESPERS By A.S.MILNE

 

'Little Boy kneels at the foot of the bed,

 Droops on the little hands little gold head.

 Hush! Hush! Whisper who dares! Christopher Robin is saying his prayers.

 

 God bless Mummy. I know that's right.

Wasn't it fun in the bath tonight?

 The cold's so cold, and the hot's so hot.

 Oh! God bless Daddy - I quite forgot.

 

If I open my fingers a little bit more,

 I can see Nanny's dressing-gown on the door.

It's a beautiful blue, but it hasn't a hood.

 Oh! God bless Nanny and make her good.

 

 Mine has a hood, and I lie in bed,

And pull the hood right over my head,

 And I shut my eyes, and I curl up small,

 And nobody knows that I'm there at all.

 

 Oh! Thank you, God, for a lovely day.

And what was the other I had to say?

I said "Bless Daddy," so what can it be?

Oh! Now I remember it. God bless Me.

 

 Little Boy kneels at the foot of the bed,

 Droops on the little hands little gold head.

 Hush! Hush! Whisper who dares!

 Christopher Robin is saying his prayers.'

 

A.S.MILNE

 

CAROUSEL DREAMS

 

 

 

Circuses and fairgrounds

with bright shinning lights

fairies a dancing and wishes in sight

 

gypsies in meadows

with sweet horse and carts

scenes of the country and songs of the lark

 

there's places and memories

in their dreams of the night

childhood lullabies and hearts to hold tight

fanciful stories like treasures at sea

amongst old tin soldier and old memories

 

a fortress and castles

stand high on a hill

with rainbows and wishing well

 with waters so still

 

songs of the master

 with words full of rhyme

jingle jangle melodies

 like love on the vine

 

witches and goblins and cauldron to stew

songs of the starlings and a penny for you

creative and fanciful

yet full of good cheer

with children out playing

with voice in full gear

 

laughter and jolliness

 with humbled refrains

scenes of the country and patter of rain

sunshine and flowers

to brighten their days

pastel shades painted

 of country roads haze

 

fillip and frolics and gave merry chase

with honey n ice cream

all over their face

nights at the fairgrounds and people you meet

all in their dreams

whilst the worlds fast asleep.

 

   

 DREAMLANDS.

 

 

 

With wisps of candy colored treats

dogs that run and lambs that leaped

rainbows ends and wishing wells

within worlds of wonders and super tales

 

where little dreamers often go

to cast their thoughts in rain or snow

where goblins dance and fairy's play

within the fields of dreams each day

 

where Stevenson and Hans Christian Anderson awoke

in a world of richness quite remote

where lads and lassies soared in hopes

wherein the language where dreams eloped

 

upon the fields of green and down

where ships did sail and soared to towns

to islands rich in treasure troves

amidst the sands and rocky coves

 

where castles high in pleasant scenes

where knights and maidens set the scenes

therein the hollow of a view

the sailor sailed to voyage anew

 

in imagination land of kings and queens

where Raleigh and drake set the scene

where adventures rich in pirates bold

fought their battles gained riches gold

 

the story tellers tales were told

upon the battlefields of Moore

where robin gave chase to one and all

in Sherwood forests leaves of green

they sheltered in the evergreens

 

where jack and Jill met BO peep too

where Cinderella lost her shoe

the clock did strike the hour of two

where nelson met Bonaparte at Waterloo.  

 

 

  
                           

 

 
        

 

 

 

 

 

 

childhood dreamland

 

 

 

 

 

Amongst the gnomes of play

there's a whispering in the night

a promise of yesterday

 

twixt a hundred million promises

where dreams are made to fall

there's a world of seven wonders

the good lord made them all

 

where wishes wells are gifted

aside the seven seas

where heartbeats they are lifted

like lovers on a spree

 

there's a hidden voice that calls one

from somewheres way up high

above the clouds and sunsets

where mysteries hurry by

 

down through the chains of dew dusts

where daisies bend or fall

there's hope and joy and laughter

amidst Truth forever more

 

there's a rainbow in the sky there

where starlight comes to call

amongst the golden roads to sleep

we've been there one and all.

 

 

 

 

GRANDMAS  TREASURE. 

 

At the bottom of her garden

 was grandmas treasure trove

 it was buried in a hole

at least that was what were told

 

 we kids all went there daily

 to see what they could find

 at the bottom of her garden

 they left their world behind

 

some said she hid her treasures

pots of gold and dust

 some said it was a measure

 of all her love and trust

 

 we looked beneath the apple trees

the gooseberry bushes too

 but all we found was nettles

 along with slow worms and a shoe

 

 they say that grandma Alice

 was rich in tales of lore

she sang her hymns there daily

 believed in love not war

 

 she was a salvation soldier

 with bonnet on her hair

she sat in gods own citadell

thats where yould find her there

 

 on sundays she would tell us

 that jesus christ was king

 her words were kind and open

 you should have heard her sing

 

we never found that pot of gold

 beneath the orchard trees

we discovered love and thruth instead

 the searching made us free

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                   STEVENSONS DAYS                                

 

  

   

 

 

 

Next to the bathroom at the top of the stairs 

I remember as children we all said our prayers

the lines of the tables and verse oh so neat

the manners of gentlefolk we all learned to speak

 

there was food on the table though morsels were meek

we were strong in our culture and our language was weak

we learnt from our masters and held back our tears

as we curtsied and frolicked throughout our play years

 

the poets were sound then with lines oh so sweet

there were hawkers and pedlar's all run down the streets

the air it was cold and the hares they did run

the farmland was plentiful by the roar of the gun

 

the fables and stories we were all told

our heroes were wise men and the hills made of gold

the church bells they rang and the congregation grew

there was laughter abroad then and boats sailed from Poole. 

 

 

 

From a Railway Carriage by R.L Stevenson

 

 

 

Faster than fairies, faster than witches,

 Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;

And charging along like troops in a battle,

 All through the meadows the horses and cattle:

 

All of the sights of the hill and the plain

 Fly as thick as driving rain;

 And ever again, in the wink of an eye,

Painted stations whistle by.

 

 Here is a child who clambers and scrambles,

 All by himself and gathering brambles;

 Here is a tramp who stands and gazes;

 And here is the green for stringing the daisies!

 

 Here is a cart run away in the road

Lumping along with man and load;

 And here is a mill, and there is a river:

 Each a glimpse and gone forever! ~~~

 

 

                                             

       soccer in the alleys                              Poole Park Festival  

 

 
THE FOREST OF ENCHANTMENT.

 

 

 

 

 In the forest of enchantment

where the mystical maiden dwells

there's a castle of adventure

with a golden wishing well

sparky rings the bells there

the princess light the fire

the unicorns all dance there

their stories never tire

 

the grand mama was speechless

the king was on his throne

shy Anne was cooking dinner

ray ray ray was on the phone

they all ate frogs for dinner

along with turtle soup

the limeys were all joking

the yanks played hula hoops

 

there were flowers in the gardens

the moon was on the wane

the school was full of nonsense

I heard the song again

the PC it was burning

grandma was on line

the dinner was in the oven

shy Anne said watch the time

 

the babe was blowing raspberry's

playing robin hood

Dorset was writing poetry

the wolf was in the woods

the cock was crowing in the yard

the dogs began to bark

the song of silence was declared

there were dandy lions in the park

 

there were sunbeams in the heavens

I saw a shooting star

in the forest of enchantment

he strummed his ole guitar

the castle walls were guarded

just like Wal-Mart doors

there were maidens at the windows

princes in the halls

 

the queen was singing just like Elton

the knave was in the pack

the joker was in hiding

somewhere around the back

The children were excited

the master turned his key

the magic was enchanted

the night that she met me.

 

 

 

 

                              

       

 

 
 

 

                                                   

skipping reels of rhymes                                 

wartime evavacuees

 

Land of Nod
 

 

 

I went one day to the land of nod  

 

where the fairies and pixies did play

where the five bar gates opened life's fates

where moonshine and sunshine were one

 

I dreamed I saw there a prince I declare

with kingdoms and continents rich

where the ladies were fair with long golden hair

where their wishes of wonders were free

I stumbled upon there a wishing well chair

with water that stretched to the sea

 

the master of time rang a bell at that time

when the bells of the church they did chime

all rang there as one as the music begun

whilst the fables were old of tales left untold

though the teller was rich in his verse

 

the sunset was rich like the shadows of pitch

whilst the boys with their drums played for free

a masterly roll with a saunterly stroll

whilst the sailors were all lost at sea.    

 

 

 

 

SILLY RHYMES. 

 

 

 He was the guard of honour

 in the house of great pretence

he shuffled up the jack of hearts

then left Truth on the bench

 

the castle moat was dirty

you could see the stench in rhyme

his lover flew the nest and travelled back in time

 

the castle guards were wise men
they all went on the spree

sold off all their wisdom

 for a night of revelry

 

the maids were all rogue wenches

 with broken hearts and souls

they gave up all pretences

and watched their heartaches grow

 

 

the queen of hearts she dated
the king of Gypsies fool

he promised her true love that day 

though her pa did not approve

 

the maids of honour stumbled

from prayers they all did say

then they danced until the morning light

 and he stole their hearts astray

 

its a jingle jangle hierarchy
 you can read it every day

as you wallow in the morning papers

 and what the wise men say

 

the king of Europe borrows

 a gift of gold they say

then sailed upon the milky way

all on a Saturday

 

the tales of woes they christened
 upon the knights best books

where lines of stanzas flourished

 and fools all took a look

 

the ducks they quacked at daybreak

 and the sky was full of rain

the cows all mooed at natures dawn

and fools took a hike again

.

 

They sprinkled fairy dust on the moon today

whilst the cow and the goat were out at play

the fairies were looking for the rainbows end

over the dell where the road doth bend

 

the boys and girls were playing skip to my loo

when the cat and the fiddle met little boy blue

someone stole my dreams away

then sold them to the girl named may

 

the carousel waltzed and the big top showed

pretty pictures that made no sense and nobody knows

the robin danced and the pixie did a jig

whilst tommy the fiddler chased a big fat pig.

 

 

 

CHILDHOOD PLEASURES

 

             

 

 

 

 

Childhood tears and grazed young knees

games of chase and girls to tease

summer days on farmers lands

many wishes holding hands

kisses chased and tumbling fun

there besides the rabbits run

 

conker trees and minnow nets

river banks and summer guests

seaside antics in the sand

listen to the Weymouth band

rocks of white and seagull flights

kites to fly and wars to fight

 

cowboys Indians and robin hood

dogs to chase and always told to be good

sweets to savour and gum to chew

chase a girl tissue tissue

castles tall and rainbow skies

daisy chains and lullaby's

 

trains to ride and seeds to sow

cows in pasture n rodeo

whips to crack and stones to throw

geese to chase and falling snow

hills to climb and dens to build

brothers and sisterhoods

 

soccer games in banter play

school is out for holiday

flick card fun and darts to throw

childhood pleasures

long ago.

 

 

 

A CHILD AT PLAY 

 

  

 

 
Quiet he sleeps in his wee little bed

the little man slumbers the hours forgets all that’s been said

sleeping the nighttimes dreams away

far from the hours spent in his land of play

the spinning tops still now

the soccer ball lays

the fish are still swimming in the streams by the hill

the lights have gone out in the streets down below

the storybooks over at the end of the show

 

the feet that were swift have rested tonight

there's pillows of slumber and teeth pearly white

a nod of the head and a dream to recall

there's games left there strewn at the foot of the hall

the day it was hectic down at the fair

with carousel rides and Ferris wheel there

Candy's to lick and girls to give chase

now a bundle of mischief sleeps in this place

 

mornings of play times and games still to run

birdsong and rabbits and the ding a ling songs

trees to climb daily and a river to sail

kites in the sky and a wish at the well

frolics in forests and playmates to chase

bundles of fun in this time and this space

antics and frantic and new sports to try

all are the pleasures of play in his eyes

 

singing and dancing with friends down the lane

spills in the park and songs in the rain

splashing in puddles again and again

a world to explore and not a moment to lose

now sound asleep in his rhapsody snooze.

 

 

THE VILLAGE CHILDREN 

 
 
 
We were the village children

 lost to reels of rhyme

we were stranded in our imaginations

lost in another place and time

 

we were the village children

just let out to play

we wallowed in our innocence

trapped in this moment today

 

we were the village children

destined t impart

our dreams and fantasies of love

like a candle wick just sparked

 

we were the village children

all grown old in time

lost our hopes and innocence

planted on the vine.

 

 

                    

  Donkey rides                     On Gold Hill 

 

 

 

  

 

 with phrases of innocence in grandmas sweet pies

 face full of laughter with keen starry eyes

 weathered the storms and tormented skies  

 

hand me down pages of red white and blue

joys of the Son and little boy blue

songs of the master as they go off to bed

lullaby dreamers with angelic heads

 

trips to the market with Sarah and Jane

peter the piper plays his sad refrain

storybook tales set for a king

with knight in white Armour and ballads to sing

 

down through the ages with reason and rhyme

tales of the bold and medieval times

cuckoo clock medley with rumpleshiltskins boast

a day in the country or out to the coast

 

farmer Giles ponies and new Forest walks

ladies and gentlemen with upstanding talks

pigs in the pig sties and cows in the shed

with little boy blue there just a laying his head

 

cock birds a crowing and lambs out to play

church bells a ringing in the village today

noddy and big ears and sweet Mary Jane

stories that tumble again and again

 

faces of innocence or mischievous grins

teasing the girls or his latest whim

kites that are flying high upon the hills

a purbeck site greets you with scenes yet to kill

 

masters and dragons with free flowing locks

girl guides and scouts all tying their knots

walks in the Forest and bramble bush spins

car rides and airports and ring a ding ding

 

kiss chase and hopscotch and hidey ho too

soccer with no posts and buckle your shoe

candle light memories with tales yet to share

granfers tales told from his old rocking chair.

SLEEPY HEAD

 

in the wee small hours of the morning

when the world was still asleep

they came creeping into my slumbers

just to take a peep

 

there was solitude and sleepyhead

and contemplation too

and not forgetting restfulness

noddy head and crew

 

they slipped into my slumbers

disturbing all my dreams

waking all my intellect imagination too

thats why I'm wide awake and writing this to you

 

 

 

 

DAISY LUPIN POETRY FEST

 

STORY BOOK LANDS  

 

Fanciful dreamers in story book eyes

CHILDRENS RHYMES AND VERSE.
    

 

           

       

 Pioneers of the academic study of children’s culture Iona and Peter Opie divided children’s songs into those taught to children by adults, which when part of a traditional culture they saw as nursery rhymes, and those that children taught to each other, which formed part of the independent culture of childhood The term nursery rhyme is used for ‘traditional’ songs for young children in Britain and many English speaking countries, but usage only dates from the nineteenth century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.In contrast to nursery rhymes, which are learned in childhood and passed from adults to children only after a gap of twenty or sometimes forty years, children's playground and street songs, like all children's lore, are learned and passed on almost immediately.  

 

 
 

NURSERY RHYMES

 

                             

 

 COBBLER COBBLER.

 

 

Cobbler! Cobbler! Mend my shoe.

Give it a stitch and that will do.

Here's a nail, and there's a prod,

And now my shoe is well shod.

 

Cobbler! Cobbler! Mend my shoe.

 

Get it done by half past two.

Stitch it up and stitch it down.

And then I'll give you half a crown.

 

Please mend my shoe.

 

Be done by two.

A stitch and that will do.

Look, here's a nail,

And there's a prod,

And now my shoe's well shod.

 

Cobbler! Cobbler! Mend my shoe.

 

Give it a stitch and that will do.

Here's a nail, and there's a prod,

And now my shoe is well shod.

Cobbler, now my shoe's well shod.

 

 

  Mary Had a Little Lamb.

 

Mary had a little lamb 

Its fleece was white as snow,

And everywhere that Mary went,

The lamb was sure to go.

 

It followed her to school one day;

 

That was against the rule.

It made the children laugh and play,

To see a lamb at school.

 

And so the teacher turned it out,

 

But still it lingered near,

And waited patiently about,

Till Mary did appear.

 

"Why does the lamb love Mary so?"

 

The eager children cry.

"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,"

The teacher did reply.

 

Mary had a little lamb.

 

Its fleece was white as snow,

And everywhere that Mary went,

The lamb was sure to go.

 

 

 

 

 The Child and the Star.

 

"Little star that shines so bright,

Come and peep at me tonight,

For I often watch for you

In the pretty sky so blue.

 

"Little Star! O tell me, pray,

 

Where you hide yourself all day?

Have you got a home like me?

and a father kind to see?"

 

"O little Child, at you I peep,

 

while you lie asleep;

But when days break,

I my homeward journey take.

 

"For I've many friends on high,

 

living with me in the sky,

And a loving Father, too,

Who commands what I'm to do."

 

 

 

Pat-a-cake, Baker's Man.

 

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake,

Baker's man,

Bake me a cake

As fast as you can.

Roll it and pat it,

And mark it with a "B",

And put it in the oven

For baby and me.

 

Sugar and spice,

 

that's all nice.

Little girls are worth the price.

Frogs and snails,

Puppies' tails,

Little boys make manly males.

 

 

 

 

 Little Drops of Water. (adapted from Julia Carney, 1845)

 

Little drops of water,

little grains of sand,

make the mighty ocean

and the beauteous land.

 

Little seeds of mercy

 

sown by little hands

grow to bless the nations

Even in far -off lands.

 

Little deeds of kindness,

 

little words of love,

make our earth an Eden,

like the heaven above.

 

And the little moments,

 

humble though they may be,

make the mighty ages

of eternity.

 

 

 

 The Rain Is.

 

The rain is falling all around,

It falls on field and tree,

It rains on the umbrellas here,

And on the ships at sea.

 

The rain is falling all around,

 

On each and every hill;

It rains on all the houses here,

On every Jack and Jill.

 

Rain falls around us,

 

On all thirsty lands.

Rain drops on mountains,

And on sea-side sands.

 

The rain is falling all around,

 

It falls on field and tree,

It rains on the umbrellas here,

And on the ships at sea.

It rains on you and me.

 

 

Rich Man, Poor Man.

 

Rich man, poor man,

Beggar-man, thief.

Gentleman, Apothecary,

Indian Chief.

 

Soldier brave and

 

Sailor true.

Skilled physician,

Oxford blue.

 

Gouty nobleman,

Squire so hale,

Dashing airman,

Curate pale.

 

Tailor, drummer and

 

Stealer of beef,

One knows joy

And one knows grief.

 

Lady, Lady, on the seashore

 

You have children,

One to four.

O Lady, dear Lady,

You've kids by the score.

The eldest is --

Why, he's twenty-four!

 

You ought to marry a...

 

Rich man, poor man,

 

Beggar-man, thief.

Gentleman, Apothecary,

Indian Chief.

 

Soldier brave and

 

Sailor true.

Skilled physician,

Oxford blue.

 

Gouty nobleman,

Squire so hale,

Dashing airman,

Curate pale.

 

Tailor, drummer and

 

Stealer of beef,

One knows joy

And one knows grief.

 

 

 Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.

 

(Child's bedtime prayer - 18th century)

Now I lay me down to sleep.

 

I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

If I should die before I wake,

I pray the Lord my soul to take.

 

Guard me while I sleep tonight;

 

And wake me safe at dawn's first light,

For now I lay me down to sleep.

Dear Lord, it's you my soul doth keep.

 

God, bless our Mum,

 

Bless Dad too.

God help me to be true to you.

 

 

 

 

 Come and Play

 

Oh little Playmate

come out and play with me

and bring your dollies three,

climb up my apple tree,

holler down my rainbarrel

slide down my cellar door

and we'll be jolly friends forever more.

No, no, no playmate, I cannot play with you

my dollies have the flu,

boo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo,

ain't got no rain barrel,

ain't got no cellar door,

but we'll be jolly friends forever more.

 

The Story of the Chap/books and the Nursery Rhyme .

 

             

Chapbooks.

 

 

 

The Nursery Rhyme began to be printed in England as early as 1570! The Nursery Rhyme, which up to this point been passed to different generations verbally, started to be passed on via the written form. Printing allowed the production of books and cheap pamphlets, or Chapbooks. A chapbook is "a small book or pamphlet containing poems, ballads, stories, or religious tracts". More people during this time were learning to read but the chapbooks were also popular with people who could not read as they contained pictures, in the printed form of crude wood engravings. The Chapbook was a Middle Age equivalent of a Children's comic - documenting funny rhymes and Folklore!

 

 

 

Chapbooks were sold by 'Chapmen' or peddlers who sold, amongst other wares, the popular penny Chapbooks at local fairs! The Chapmen sold various wares that were easy to transport from one village or fair to the next. They attracted attention by dancing and singing the old familiar Rhymes! The word 'Chap' originates in Middle English, from the Old English 'capman' meaning 'trade' add this to the word 'cheap' to provide a full definition of a Chapman. ( You now know the origin and meaning of the name Chapman!) These old Chap books, sold by the Chapmen, have given us most of our old Nursery Rhymes! English Ballads, Folklore and old legends were also documented in Chapbooks and sung by wandering minstrels which helped to continue the spread of the old Nursery Rhymes and Legends.

 

The Chapbook was a cheap, small book, containing 24 pages or less without a hard cover. Chapbooks were usually anonymous and undated. The popularity of Chapbooks increased during the 1600's, 1700's and 1800's but only a few of the early copies have survived. The contents were committed from memory which accounts for some variations in the lyrics and words of some Nursery Rhymes.

 

  

 

The content and material of the Chapbooks expanded in the 1700's to include children's stories like Robinson Crusoe and various versions of Perrault’s Fairy Tales.

The Chapbooks provide some excellent information and material for those interested in tracing the origins of the Nursery Rhyme - all of which help us to maintain our history and heritage through the words and lyrics of the humble Nursery Rhyme.

 

 

OLDE COUNTRY RHYMES FOR KIDS

 

                      

THREE OLD CROWS

 

Three old crows sat on a tree

As black as crows could very well be

They oer flew ore a country lane

Then landed on a donkeys mane

 

They all alighted on his backbone

Then pecked his eyes out one by one

Out came the farmer with his gun

He shot those crows excepting one

That old crow he flew away

Il tell you the rest some other day.

 

 

ONE FINE DAY

 

One fine day in the middle of the night

Two dead men got up to fight

One blind man to see fair play

One dumb man to shout hooray

 

Along came a paralysed donkey

He kicked the blind man in the eye

He knocked him through a nine inch wall

Into a dry ditch and drowned them all.

 

 

ONE TWO THREE

 

 

One two three mother caught a flea

Put him in the teapot and made a cup of tea

The flea jumped out and mother gave a shout

Here comes father with his shirt hanging out.

 

 

ONCE UPON A TIME

 

Once upon a time

When the bees drank wine

And the monkeys chewed tobacco

A little birdy came with a feather up his bum

To see what was the matter.

 

 

 

JACKANORY

 

Shall I tell you a story

About jackanory

Shall I begin it

Theres nothing in it.

 

 

 

 

 

                                        

 

 

For more information regarding the history and origins of the Nursery Rhymes and Verse see the following links below..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For a brilliant film of Londons childrens street rhymes of the 1950s, Click the link below.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DrGijdmBqU

 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OALu7Iw53UA

 

 

 

 

Nursery rhymes

 

 

 

 

MOTHER GOOSE.

The best source of childrens Rhymes and Nursery on the web

 

click pic

 

 
Childrens Garden of Verse By Robert Louis Stevenson
 
Whether upon the garden seat You lounge with your uplifted feet
Under the May's whole Heaven of blue;
Or whether on the sofa you,
No grown up person being by, Do some soft corner occupy;
 Take you this volume in your hands And enter into other lands,
 
 For lo! (as children feign) suppose You, hunting in the garden rows,
Or in the lumbered attic,
or The cellar - a nail-studded door And dark,
descending stairway found That led to kingdoms underground:
 
There standing, you should hear with ease Strange birds a-singing,
 or the trees Swing in big robber woods, or bells On many fairy citadels:
There passing through (a step or so - Neither mamma nor nurse need know!)
From your nice nurseries you would pass,
 Like Alice through the Looking-Glass
 Or Gerda following Little Ray,
To wondrous countries far away.
 
Well, and just so this volume can Transport each little maid or man
 Presto from where they live away
Where other children used to play.
 
As from the house your mother sees You playing round the garden trees,
So you may see if you but look
Through the windows of this book
Another child far, far away And in another garden play.
 
But do not think you can at all, By knocking on the window, call
That child to hear you.
 He intent Is still on his play-business bent.
He does not hear, he will not look,
Nor yet be lured out of this book.
 
For long ago, the truth to say, He has grown up and gone away;
And it is but a child of air That lingers in the garden there.

 

 

 

 poetry for children

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

  Click on the GIRLS picture.