Frog-in-a-box

Frog-in-a-box

Tuesday, 21 March 2017

The Great Laze-aholic


I wake in the morning to brilliant sun,
And turn over again, ‘cause my bed’s much more fun.
My friends come around and say’ “Come out and play!”
But playing’s hard work, and I’d much rather stay
Here at home, and just lounge by the fire all day long,
With the dog, we’ll just listen to our favourite song.
I have some maths homework, but I think I’ll choose
To go back to my bed, ‘cause it’s time for a snooze.
I know I should study for next Monday’s test,
But I can’t help myself, see, I just need a rest.
After that, then I'll put on my best thinking cap,
But before I start thinking I’ll need a quick nap.
I owe Auntie June a nice long thank-you letter
For the present she gave me, but sleeping’s much better.
I’d love to play football, to run and to skip -
I’ll do it just after a much needed kip.
My folks have gone out to the town’s big fiesta,
But I haven’t got time, ‘cause I need my siesta.
I told Mum and Dad I’ve a touch of the colic,
I don’t know if they’ve guessed; I’m the Great Laze-aholic!

Monday, 13 March 2017

Stood Up?


The little boy sat on his ball, all alone,
Just twiddling his fingers and thumbs.
He couldn’t decide: was it best to go home,
Or wait longer for people to come?
They’d arranged to meet up at a quarter past four,
By the swings he had said that he’d see ‘em.
He’d already waited an hour, or more.
Could it be that they thought he meant p.m.?

Monday, 20 February 2017

Firefly

I’ve come to a hedgerow behind the old church,
Where the woods and the village converge,
For it’s here that I come every year in my search
For the one who’ll assuage this great urge.
Every summer I bask in my hedge out of sight,
And my tummy goes brown in the sun,
Then at nighttime it shines like a beacon of light,
I go out to be seen - and have fun!
Then I’m beautiful, charming; the belle of the ball,
And the boys can’t resist my bright fire.
I know they’re just beetles, but they’re in my thrall:
Their command is my every desire.
So we dance, and we shimmy and flash off and on
And together we light up the night.
And our love may not quite be Layla and Majnun
But our courtship’s a wonderful sight.

Monday, 8 August 2016

Too Hot


It’s stifling hot, the sweating drips,
The droplets fall like lemon pips.
How hot’s it got to be before
Headmaster shuts the old school door?

When does the weather feller say
Don’t go to school, go out and play
Down by the river, at the beach? 
‘S too hot to learn, too hot to teach.

It’s stifling hot, I’m sweating cobs,
It’s much too hot to do my jobs.
Too hot to go to work today,
So Mum and Dad… whaddaya say?

Sunday, 24 July 2016

The Great Intellecticle

I don’t have a thinking cap
So how am I supposed to think?
I make a cap from bubble wrap,
And with indelible black ink,
I draw some whiskers on my chin,
Put on Dad’s reading spectacles.
Then stroke my beard, and I turn in
To this great intellecticle.

Sunday, 17 July 2016

Dreams


I’ve never been to Alabama,
I’ve never been to Kathmandu,
I’ve never met the Dalai Lama,
Nor Spiderman, nor Fu Manchu.

I’ve never seen the Northern Lights,
Nor climbed an ancient redwood tree.
I haven’t seen so many sights
That people say you have to see.

But I have dreamed of all these things,
From underneath the sheets and covers.
I’ve even heard the mermaids sing
To luckless, star-crossed sailor lovers.

And I can still see all those places,
The views from up the redwood tree.
I still remember all those faces,
It’s just - they don’t remember me.

Sunday, 10 July 2016

Lost Tribe


 An ancient tribe the proud Chimu
Live in the forests of Peru.
They hunt for alligator shoes,
On sleeping bears they take a snooze.

They stroke piranhas with their hand,
And flip them out onto the land.
They ride bareback on jaguars,
And plot their journeys by the stars.

They sail on rafts across the lake,
Towed by an anaconda snake.
They prospect in the streams for gold,
To make new teeth when they get old.

And when they have a little party,
The shindig’s fun, the laughs are hearty.
They drink a wine that’s made from berries,
And fly all week just like canaries.

They’ve lived like this a thousand years,
‘Cos no one speaks, and no one hears
Of them at all - well only me:
I know - I made them up you see.