Story poems can be short, story poems can be long – runaway sheep and santa’s elf

Here are two poems that got sent in for the fabulous poetry competition. One is short and one is long. Both of these poems rhyme but remember story poems don’t always have to rhyme. Sometimes I read poems where the rhyme fights so hard to rhyme it no longer makes sense which is a trap! Sometimes it stops the flow of the story. But when it is good it can help the flow and add to the music of the poem. Like it does here!

 

Cara is 8 and goes to Freemans Bay Primary School in Auckland (this poem made me laugh!).

 

Run away sheep

I looked at my boss and heard him yell as loud as a bell

Some sheep have escaped from a peak

So I looked out the window and what did I see

A mountain of sheep running to a creek.

 

Louie is in Year 5, is aged 9 and goes to St Martins Primary School in Christchurch. He has written a longer poem that also made me laugh! The rhyme here works beautifully.

 

The Naughty Elf

Santa was asleep, dosing in bed,

when away snuck an elf by the name of Fred.

Fred was naughty and Fred was bad,

Fred was horrid and would even trick his dad.

Fred was clever and Fred was quick,

Fred was sneaky and Fred was slick.

Fred went away to do something nasty

and I can assure you that it was dastardly.

Fred’s plan was bad and certainly not nice,

Fred was going to fill Santa’s pillow with ice!

Fred pulled out the pillow, smooth as actress,

Santa’s head fell and rested on his mattress.

Fred brought the pillow over to the freezer,

it was cold and frosty and made him feel queasier.

Fred got the tray and poured in the ice,

and just for good measure, poured in some spice.

Fred pushed the pillow back in the dead of the night,

Santa woke up quickly; it gave him such a fright.

But Santa saw Fred escape, out the creaking door,

and gave him a big punishment — mopping up the floor.