3 posts tagged “poem”

Do you hold grudges against people? Tell us about an incident if you do, and if you don't, tell us how you rise above it.
Submitted by Sophie.

This poem by WIlliam Blake is a good illustration of why it is not good to hold grudges against people.  I rarely do myself.  I just can't be bothered.  I would rather grow and save my 'apples bright' for those I care about. 

 

A Poison Tree

by William Blake

I was angry with my friend:

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe:

I told him not, my wrath did grow.

 

And I watered it in fears

Night and morning with my tears,

And I sunned it with smiles

And with soft deceitful wiles.

 

And it grew both day and night,

Till it bore an apple bright,

And my foe beheld it shine,

And he knew that it was mine -

 

And into my garden stole

When the night had veiled the pole;

And in the morning, glad, I see

My foe outstretched beneath the tree.  

 

 

My son turned six yesterday.  The four days between his sister's and his birthday are always torture for him.  I really think it would have been better if he could have been the one with the earlier birthday (which would have been the case if he hadn't been born more than 10 days after his due date).

Here he is perusing the junk mail catalogues for gift ideas for himself (not sure what he thought he was going to get from the supermarket!):

Here he is making his birthday muffins to take in and share with his class at school (do you like my "new" old beaters I got from the Salvation Army store that very day?  A bit of a step up from the hand beaters we had been using previously):

 

The finished product (the icing was orange in honour of Harmony Day):

He woke up extra early on his birthday and was very excited to receive this toy dragon who looks just like Rascal the Dragon from his favourite books:

He also loved his new 36 pack of textas (markers) and other art supplies and immediately set to work drawing me (the one on the left) and Granny (the one on the right).  He asked whether he should draw some wrinkles on Granny and I said "Maybe not!" (just in case you are reading, Mum).

 

It was then time to go and wake up big sister so he could get his present from her.

Then it was time for school.  The cakes were a big hit with his class who also sang "Happy Birthday" to him before tucking in.

We didn't have a proper cake with which to sing "Happy birthday" that night so made do with some scones from the bakery near home.

And here he is blowing out the candles at the end of a very happy birthday. 

The End

When I was One,

I had just begun.

 

When I was Two,

I was nearly new.

 

When I was Three,

I was hardly Me.

 

When I was Four,

I was not much more.

 

When I was Five,

I was just alive.

 

But now I am Six, I'm as clever as clever.

So I think I'll be Six now, for ever and ever. 

 

A. A, Milne (from Now We Are Six) 

My daughter is learning about similes at school and had to write a poem about someone to demonstrate her similes prowess.  She wrote her poems about her brother.  My favourite line was "My brother's face is round like a CD".  Not quite Shakespeare but give her time!