National Poetry Day: Water

The 3rd October was National Poetry Day and this year's theme was 'water'. For our workshop activities, we concentrated on the theme of 'Sea Fever'. Cate had children contributing drawings to a giant sea mural and I helped some poems to be born out of John Masefield's original.

By Joy, aged 12

 

I also asked children, parents and staff their first thought when they heard the word ‘water’ and put together the poem below from what they told me.  

 

WATER THOUGHTS

 

Water is the source of life

but also takes our thoughts

to being thirsty when we’re fasting,

diluting juice and cups of tea.

It cools and soothes, and its drip-drop sound

makes some of us want to pee.

 

Water is the source of life

but also takes our thoughts

to blue seas on our holidays

swimming, diving, feeling hot;

whales and dolphins; even sharks

with teeth going ‘clop clop clop’.

 

Water is the source of life

but also takes our thoughts

to relaxing in the bath

showers, soap and washing hands,

cold drinks, fountains, wishing wells,

waterfalls and desert lands.

 

Water is the source of life

Splish, splosh, splash! A drink, a drink!

taking our thoughts to all these things.

But most of all, ‘Rain’, we think.