if I'm ever

if I'm ever really dead
then grow tomatoes in my head
plant potatoes in my shoulder
as my body's getting colder

raise some cabbage in my feet
mushrooms in my, um, my seat
cauliflower for my eyes
lotus flowers in my thighs

if my bones return to dust
back to ashes if they must
nobody will remember me
but they might have me for their tea

Season’s Greetings

Who’s happy today?

I am.

Look, I am smiling and can say

YIPEEEEEEE

Why?

Well, because December is a season to celebrate.

All

Around

The

World

December 8 is Bodhi Day,

That remembers Buddah meditating.

We can learn more about that in books and online!

Hannukah is a festival of lights

A special Jewish holiday!

What can we learn about that?

A very old festival is called Yule

Maybe you know that word already.

It is celebrated with singing and food,

A 12 day festival in December.

Christmas happens, too, we know,

At the same time of year. There’s food, and singing,

Family, too, and gifts and a baby Jesus.

Kwanzaa, that’s another one,

A great celebration of African culture,

The name means ‘first fruits of the harvest’

And cheering and happiness too.

Dongzhi Festival’s something you can see in China,

Japan, Korea, Vietnam too

It marks the winter solstice

As many people also do – what date is that this year I wonder?

For the Zuni and Hopi there’s Soyal on that date,

Bringing the sun back awake from his sleep.

It marks another wheel of the year,

Purification and blessings.

Pancha Gapati honours Lord Ganesha,

Who is important to Hindu friends.

Five days of blessings and love and hope.

Maybe we can learn more here too.

Everyone is happy

At this time of year,

Giving thanks and helping each other out,

Remembering those who have come before,

And looking forward to many more times

With family, friends

People we meet

All

Around

The

World

YIPPEEEEEEEEEE

Waffles

There’s a country called Holland.

Stop this poem and find it on a map.

…

…

…

…

…

Ah hello, I see you are back.

It’s also called the Netherlands.

Next door there is a place called Belgium.

Stop again and find that place.

…

…

…

…

…

Did you find Belgium? That’s ace!

It’s small too, but important.

Because here in this area

Almost a thousand years ago

Was invented a delicious food

Called the waffle, yeah!

The word wafel was originally Dutch

Because they have their own language

It is a big advantage

To speak it, oh, so much.

In English, we call it a waffle

It is of course a kind of dough

Cooked in a special waffle iron, you know.

You can eat it with sliced apple

Or butter, or chocolate, or fruit

Whatever flavour that suits you, man

Maple syrup, cream, honey, jam

Whatever things you like to chew

If we may stop one last time, we

Can find California on a map

…

…

…

…

…

Aha you have returned, come back

All this running is making me hungry.

Swimming

I read in a book, a book I trust,

That every single one of us

Me, you, the teacher too,

The man down the road who is eating some stew,

We all are 50 per cent water.

Not to say, to say a lie,

It doesn’t mean that you and I

Splash, walk, splosh and talk,

But that all of our cells, skin, heart and all,

Are made, in part, of moisture.

So, let’s think, think of a way

To cool down on a summer’s day

Hey, yo, why don’t we go

To a swimming pool, sometimes called a Lido

And front crawl through the water?

Which strokes, strokes to swim

Do we know, what do we think?

Doggy paddle, breaststroke, back,

Butterfly and more - just depends what

Way we want to float-a.

And in LA, LA has beaches

Perched upon an ocean that reaches

All the way to Japan! Hey

I guess it would be best

Not to swim all that way, instead

Just to enjoy the water.

We can learn, learn to swim

And sometimes use our water wings

It’s fun, and healthy, that’s for sure

I wonder if that’s all because

We’re all half made of water?

Chinchilla

It’s close to dawn or dusk and something furry’s lurking in the soft light

Under the grey you see a sight that burrows in the rocks

You try to stroke it but it jumps 6ft high before you make it

You give him lots of sticks and chew toys to keep their teeth right

That’s right

It’s a chinchilla, chinchilla pet

But keep him nice and cool cause he don’t know just how to sweat

It’s a chinchilla, chinchilla pet

He’s native to the Andes in Bolivia, Chile, Peru, yeah

There’s two types of chinchilla, one has shorter ears and tail

They’re a bit like a ground squirrel and are rodents don’t you know

They live in mountain herds high up at 14,000 feet

They like to eat plant leaves and fruits and insects and small grubs

It’s a chinchilla, chinchilla pet

They only eat a tiny bit of grass or hay pellets

It’s a chinchilla, chinchilla pet

Keep away the fat and fruit because they don’t like that

Chinchillas can hear very high notes a bit like a human

Their thick fur resists parasites like fleas and itchy things

They take their baths in pumice dust made of volcanic rock

Cause water stops them drying and is real bad for their skins

It’s a chinchilla, chinchilla pet

Don’t take them for their fur because they’re under constant threat

It’s a chinchilla, chinchilla pet

Remember always that they like to hang around with friends

It’s a chinchilla, chinchilla pet

They’re happy in the mountains, but can live with humans too

It’s a chinchilla, chinchilla pet

If you look after them properly, they’ll look right after you

Marshmillow, Marshmewllow, Marshmallow

There’s a funny little fellow

Who’s red and green and yellow.

He’s so small that his pillow

Is made of a marshmillow.

He wakes at 5am

Then goes to sleep again

He plays a tiny cello

And sits on a marshmellow.

This chap, whose name is Floo

Sings ‘Dinga donga doo’

As quiet as a bellow,

And wearing a marshmellow.

So, Floo, chew! Chomp that sugary goo! It’s not so good for you! Though delicious, it’s true!

You just can’t beat a sweet sweet treat!

Now everybody…

Stamp your feet!

Floo set up a a toy store

So he could buy some more.

Ran out of things to sell-o

And bought a new marshmellow.

He ate a hundred pounds

And could not leave the ground.

His stomach felt all ill-o

From too much marsh-a-mill-ow.

The moral of this story?

Well, try not to be naughty,

Don’t eat too many sweets

And you’ll stay on your feet!

The fluffy soft marshmallow

Is wonderful to swallow

But make sure that you chew

Or it will be the end of you!

So, Floo, chew! Chomp that sugary goo! It’s not so good for you! Though delicious, it’s true!

You just can’t beat a sweet sweet treat!

Now everybody…

Stamp your feet!

And shout! 

Marshmallows are neat!

Family Vacations

The world.

It is quite big.

My house.

That is also quite big.

(If you are a bug.)

I wonder where bugs go on vacation.

Do fleas take the fast cat? Or the doggie fur tram?

Or even

The birdy airplane?

A vacation.

What is that?

A holiday.

Time spent, that is that.

(Away from my normal day.)

I wonder if I will see my family?

Uncles, aunts, grandparents, cousins.

Maybe sometimes even nephews.

Sisters.

Brothers.

We share

These times together.

We share

Good and bad weather.

(Hopefully mostly good.)

I wonder, will we travel far?

Will we go by train? Will we go by car?

Will there be ice cream?

Or new flavours? New friends?

New places to spend

A little

Time.

The world.

It gets smaller.

Back at home

When you remember

(if you can recall!)

The things we did together

As for the fleas – well, jeez, Louise

They

Itch

Hike!