ELEPHANT

.
O you with the ponderous feet
And trunk so mighty and long,
I wish I knew what you eat,
And why your strength is so strong.

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Note: this poem was written when the poet was a small child.

OLD AGE

.
Wraiths with walking sticks,
Shakily going through the park,
Slowly tread towards the dark,
Their footsteps ever slower.

Travesties of what they used to be,
They look back at the times they knew:
The chances lost;
The times of joy;
And when they were little girl or boy.

They do not know what is to come:
They knew not then;
They know not now.

They make the most of every day,
And every night they hope and pray.

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MUMMY

.
You have made our eyes to shine,
And filled our hearts with glee;
And all that you have done for us,
Everyone can see.

You are the light that makes us glow,
And floods our lives with joy;
We love you more than you can know,
Your little girl and boy.

We love you; you are always there,
To cherish us and make us whole.
You calm away our every care;
We love, with all our soul.

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MOTORWAY

.
Did you see that notice
A little while back?
Motorway ahead,
It said,
In the biggest letters I've ever seen;
Surely God put it there!
Did God put it there, daddy?

Let's lie down in the lay-by,
And watch the cars go by:
Shall we lie down in the lay-by,
And see the cars go by
To the motorway?

Zoom! Zoom!
What fun!
They're going to the motorway,
Where they're not allowed to stop:
What will happen, daddy,
If they do?

Will God punish them?

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TREES

.
The trees in the valley
Murmur and sigh,
As the wind from the uplands
Sweeps from the sky.

There are yew trees
For you,
And wee trees
For dogs,
Big trees and little trees
For logs;

There are shoe trees
For feet
That aren't very neat.
And beech trees
To grow on the beach.

The trees in the valley
Tremble and cry,
As the gale from the uplands
Howls from the sky.

The trees in the valley
Need sympathy.
And they have it from me,
Though I am a child of the sea.

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A WALK WITH TONY

.
Giles, four, and Sophie, two,
Shall I take a walk with you?
Shall we walk along the streets
To the shop to buy some sweets?
Shall we wander to the swings
Past the clock that sometimes rings?

Then you'll sit and swing up high,
Flying swiftly through the sky;
And I will push you back and forth,
And watch you ride above the earth,
Till all at once you say to me:
"Tony, Tony, home for tea."

Then we'll run across the grass,
Sometimes slowly, sometimes fast;
And along the road we'll go,
Sometimes quickly, sometimes slow,
Till at last we reach the gate:
Just as well that we're not late,
For mummy's made us all a cake.

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