Grace-Poetry

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I AM A CHILD I am all the things of my past: I am my fathers creativity and sense of humor. I am my mother's love of books and animals I am all l see: The spectacular sunset reflecting off the glistening water on the East Coast. My puppy's guilty look when he knows he has done something he shouldn't have. I am all I hear: My little sisters giggle when I tickle her. The noisy chirruping of cicadas in the freshly mown grass on a warm summers evening. I am all I smell: The comforting aroma of cinnamon and home baking that always lingers in the kitchen while a cake is in the oven. Newly mown grass on a clear Spring morning. I am all I taste: My Mum's delicious sticky date pudding with caramel sauce. The sharp saltiness of sea air. I am all I remember: Waking up at 5:00am to stockings laden with presents and grumpy parents that wanted to sleep in on Christmas morning. The tip of my tongue touching the gap where my first wiggly tooth fell out. I am all I was taught: To ride a bike without trainer wheels. To tie my shoelaces. I am all I feel: The rush of pride and satisfaction when I intercept the ball at one of my netball games. Soft sand between my toes while I play touch rugby on the beach with my family. I am all these things Secrets deep inside me I am a caterpillar and all these things are my cocoon. But, one day, I will emerge and break free and become a woman of the world.

L.I. to read some 'word pictures' and highlight the effective language the poet has used. To create some 'word pictures' of our own.

WHITE HORSES Foaming white horses Rear their heads Calling out to each other They crash onto the sand And nudge my feet affectionately

WHALES They glide slowly Cutting through the water Like steel knives Gentle giants Wailing whales Mourning for a lost loved one

FOG The fog comes Slowly at first On little cat feet It sits looking Over harbor and city On silent haunches And then moves on

THE SMALL BROWN BEAR The small brown bear fishes with stony paws eating ice salmon all waterfall slippery until his teeth ache MICHAEL BALDWIN

HEDGEHOG He ambles along like a walking pincushion Stops and curls up like a chestnut burr He's not worried because he's so little Nobody's going to slap him around CHU CHEN PO

GIRAFFE At the zoo I saw: A long-necked velvety giraffe Whose small head, high above the strawy, zooy smells Seemed to be dreaming Was she dreaming of African jungles and African plains That she would never see again? CARSON MCCULLERS

CHEETAH A cheetah has metal girder teeth It goes hurling through the jungle throwing out its fear DARREN COYLES

WOLF Sits on his lone rock stares at the uncaged stars and cries into the night JUDITH NICHOLLS

CAT Cat purring four furry paws walking delicately between flower stems stalking butterflies KEITH BOSLEY

THE TROUT below the falls a leaping trout scatters the morning mist JOHN WILLS

L.I. to read "Dad and the Cat and the Tree" and then write a humorous poem of our own.

Dad and the Cat and the Tree This morning a cat Got stuck in our tree Dad said "Right! Just leave it to me!"

He got out the ladder From the garden shed It slipped- He landed in the flower bed

Dad stood up And he brushed the dirt From his hair and his face And his trousers and shirt

"We'll try Plan B. Stand out of the way!" Mum said "Just don't fall again, OK?"

"Fall again? Funny joke!" He swung himself up On a branch. It broke.

He'll Get Around To It "The sink is blocked  The fridge has died  The oven keeps smoking." Mum said with a sigh. "I'll get around to it." said Dad.

"The TV's all fuzzy We've run out of food  My iPod's not working." Grunted Sam, in amood. "I'll get around to it." said Dad

"My Barbie's are headless The cat's run away  My teddy's all broken." Pouted Elise in dismay. "I'll get around to it." said Dad.

The very next morning Dad dressed and got ready Then he went downstairs To get some brekkie

But on the table Instead he found Something big And flat and round

And next to it Was a small note He picked it up And read: (I quote:)

'You always said you'd get a round tuit, so we got one for you. Love Mum, Sam and Elise.

Dad looked at the note And he frowned Then from deep inside him Came a hearty sound

He laughed and laughed Then laughed some more Then he rolled around Upon the floor

From that day on Dad fixed the house And back came the cat With a small mouse

The family was happy And so was the cat And that, my friends was the end of that.

L.I. We are learning to use descriptive vocabulary to write a narrative poem which will create an image in the readers mind.

REMEMBER Remember the fire crackling loudly and the marshmallows slowly melting in the flames. That was Winter

Remember the frost glistening in the morning sun and the crunching sound it makes when I put my gumboots on. That was Winter

Remember the freezing nights wrapped up in gowns and slippers and the rumbling thunderstorms and sleeting rain. That was Winter

Remember the heat slowly filling the classroom as the old school heaters come to life and the icy feeling when I sit on the classroom chairs. That was Winter

REMEMBER Remember the monarch butterflies fluttering playfully through the flowers and the pink-tipped daisies opening their petals. That was Spring

Remember diving through a thin ice layer into the sea off my Uncle's yacht in the Bay of Islands. That was Spring

Remember the newborn calves and lambs frolicking in the freshly mown grass and the bees buzzing through the clover and lavendar. That was Spring

Remember the runaway chickens and sugary sweet toffee apples on a Saturday morning at Calf Club. That was Spring

Remember eating fresh fruit salad on our back deck and watching the lambs suck noisily on rubber teats. That was Spring

REMEMBER Remember wincing as hot water touches my burnt skin and traipsing sand all through the bach. That was Summer

Remember Mum's coconut pavlova and fresh sweetcorn on the cob and playing touch rugby on the burning black sand. That was Summer

Remember watching colorful octopi and fish move swiftly but silently through the crystal-clear water while I perch on rocks, cutting my feet on oyster shells. That was Summer

Remember laughing while my brother capsized my kayak and listening to the gentle sound of the waves crashing onto the shore while I drift off to sleep. That was Summer

Remember the eerie orange glow of a beach bonfire and the seagulls squealing and screeching for more fish n' chips. That was Summer

REMEMBER Remember the cold dark mornings and powerful winds causing damage. That was Autumn

Remember the whirl of colors as the dry leaves rustle across the grass and the soft crunch as I walk across a carpet of red, orange and yellow. That was Autumn

Remember standing on chairs bringing forgotten beanies and scarves out of hibernation and getting lost in the pages of a good book. That was Autumn

Remember raking up leaves, only to have them blown around by the wind again and dragging out heaters and blankets. That was Autumn

Remember smelling the rich aroma of home baking and cinnamon that fills the kitchen and wearing socks between icy sheets at night. That was Autumn