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Poems from the School Playground

 The new school year is underway across Australia. It returns each year while summer still rages across the breadth of our island continent. That first month is both exciting and challenging for all.

In keeping with the topic, here are 3 poems encapsulating the various moods of the school playground. They are part of an extensive collection of school themed poems in search of a publisher... 








Whispers From the Playground

There was a buzz in the playground at lunchtime today
Everyone was huddled in groups
Talking in whispers and mumbles
Mischa said that Michael and Lynda told her
That Siraj and Tony
Heard Annabel and Charlene
Telling Tiana and Sienna
That the story everyone is talking about
Involving Arlo and Tyrone and a packet of biscuits
Just isn’t true…
Someone,
They’re not sure who
Made it up
Just to stir up trouble
And make mischief.
 
Listening to all this
I found myself totally confused
What’s the story?
…and, who the heck is Tony?
Alan j Wright

Small Boys in the Playground

 Small boys in the playground

Merge along the school’s fence line

Running with sticks

Clattering them against the wire.

-And near the school’s front steps

More boys trade football cards

Leaning for a time side by side

Against the wall of a classroom

Before poking at the moss

Between weathered bricks

They discuss favourite hiding spots

Their heads together in conspiracy.

They work at winning each other's trust

With conversations about

swapping sandwiches and cake

Comparing scabs and scrapes

While their eyes search beneath the foot of the poplar trees

For smooth stones

And lost marbles.

Playtime slips away

Like oil held between the hands.

The bell rings

Its sound greeted with groans

Time is up.

Alan j Wright

\

Playground Freak Show

At school one day
Weldon Smully
Ate three pies
Two blueberry muffins
A large banana yoghurt
Then washed it all down
With a can of creamy soda
He followed this up with the second loudest burp ever heard
All the teachers in the staffroom heard it
You could have heard it in Kalamazoo
I reckon
Everybody laughed
We were all talking about Weldon Smully
 
A few minutes later…
A girl named Veronica Harmon
-Veronica Harmonica
Said, Listen everyone I can touch my nose with my tongue!
Everyone gathered around Veronica to see if it was true…
She can do this
I reckon
 
Weldon Smully suddenly found himself standing alone 
The playground freak show had moved on.

Alan j Wright



 







It is yet again, Poetry Friday. Our genial host this time is Molly Hogan at Nix the Comfort Zone.  Molly's post explains how she went about writing a poem to a prompt provided by one of Audrey Gidman’s advent prompts  after the Wendell Berry poem, 'Like Snow.'

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Comments

  1. TraceyKJ6 February 2026 at 12:14

    Three wonderful works, Alan! ‘…and, who the heck is Tony?” made me laugh. Funny how the playground freak show moves on so quickly! : )

    ReplyDelete

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