My favourite food poems

I am posting my favourite two food poems. Anita‘s poem is very simple and simple poems can be a great way to create a strong image. I think Emily was inspired by a funny food poem of mine (see my note under her poem) and brought her own imagination to it. I am always happy for you to use my poems for inspiration!

Congratulations girls. I am sending you both a copy of my book The Letterbox Cat. I just need to order some more so you may have to wait a bit!

 

 

“Hmm, what’s for dinner, what’s for dinner?”

Jane asked.

“Will it be gatatoe and pravy?”

“Or sicken choup”?

“Maybe even chish and fips?”

“No,”

said Mum.

“We’re having

Potato and gravy,

Chicken soup

And,

 

Fish and chips.”

Emily R, 10yrs old, Yr. 6 who goes to Hobsonville Primary School. I think Emily was inspired by a poem I have in Macaroni Moon! It’s called ‘Nutty Food.’ I like the way she changed the second part and made the poem her own. Brava!

 

Food poems make me hungry!

 

Cheese dips and apples: The winners of the food poem challenge

Thank you for sending in scrumptious poems for the food-poem challenge. I really enjoyed reading them all.

I am posting a few of my favourites along with the winners. If you missed out this time do send in a poem in the holidays and do try my competitions next term.

There are two winners today, one older and one younger. Sophia’s poem is like a little story that makes you think of the food you don’t like (for me tripe and junket!). I really like ‘like a bubble of butter that’s burst’. I got to meet Sophia last week as I judged the poetry competition at St Kentigern Girls’ School. She won the Year 7 section with her wonderful ballad. With her permission I have posted the photo of us. It was lovely to meet her. I am sending Sophia a copy of my book Macaroni Moon (illustrated by Sarah Laing, Random House, 2009, now out of print!).

         

Cheese dip
I don’t like a lot of food but cheese dip is the worst
oozing over the carrots and snacks
like a bubble of butter that’s burst.

I can’t hide it somewhere or it would smell fouler,
someone would notice if I put it on
my cat’s plate for her to devour.

Mum says I have to eat it
or at least give it a try
otherwise I won’t get any dessert
and we’re having my favourite pie.

I guess I’ll just have to eat it, I pinch my nose so tight
and squint at the gloopy mess on my spoon
it doesn’t look natural or right.

I close my eyes and lick it.
It actually tastes quite good.
It has that creamy texture,
who cares if it looks like the recipe should?

Mum said I had to eat it,
I’m glad I gave it a try.
It is now one of my favourite foods
and I can have my chocolate pie.

Sophia aged 11, Year 7, St Kentigern Girls’ School (Auckland)

Izzi sent in this poem and I really liked the simple rhythm and rhyme. It is a good poem to say out loud. Great job Izzi! Thanks to Scholastic I am sending you a copy of Marmaduke and the Marmalade Jam (by Juliette MacIver, illustrated by Sarah Davis, Scholastic, 2013). It also has great rhymes and rhythms. You might be inpsired to write more when you read it!

      

The Apple
As cold as ice
as flaming as spice
as juicy as meat
that a tiger will eat
as bright as the sun
that warms everyone
as sweet as some cake
that is ready to bake.

Izzi aged 7, Year 3 Otari School (Wellington)

Sarah Dickson’s Year 5 and 6 class from East Taieri School sent in these food poems. I think they had fun writing them!

Nutty Food
Cheese and cream makes me dream
Toast and pie makes me die
Sandy candy makes me handy
Powder and flour makes me sleep for an hour
Julian

Nutty Food
Ice cream and bread hurts my head.
Chocolate and peas make me fall to my knees.
Flour and coffee makes me hoppy.
Ham and jam helps me drive my van.
Potatoes and cheese causes me to sneeze!
Kailen

Nutty Food
Nuts and cream makes me scream
Peas and flour – I really need a shower.
Fish and meat it’s such a treat
Milk and eggs you are killing my legs
Jam and cheese oh no I am going to sneeze!
Trinity

Nutty Food
Salt and mustard you make me feel disgusted
Wasabi and fish is so delish
Eggs and Lamb helps me be still like Sam
Chicken and pie makes me want to fly
Sugar and powder is so sour.
Sam

Nutty Food
Porridge with fish, oh what a dish.
Spaghetti and flour now I need a shower.
Toothpaste and cheese I don’t want that please!
Mushrooms and cream that’s my dream
Apple and coffee makes me toffee!
Alicia

Nutty Food
Jam and ham makes me baa like a ram
Cake with fish oh what a dish
Cheese and peas more please
Toast and pie makes me cry … I sigh …
Chicken and fizzy makes me dizzy
Sausage and pork makes me snort!
Hayley

If all the world were made of toffee or toasted moon sandwiches

I was going to post some food poems by other poets but have been too busy on the children’s anthology to get permission so will post one of mine instead. The bad news is I won’t be able to tell you which children are going in the book by the end of June, but the good news is I know there will be more than five!

I know it is hard waiting to hear things (I am doing it for something I have written at the moment and I know whatever happens I will just get on and write another poem because that is what I love to do!).

I really like the idea of writing a food poem that takes me to a special occasion or another country or another place. Food is a great sparker of memories. I will do this soon!

But I have to get to work on the anthology so I will post these funny poems from Macaroni Moon (published by Random House in 2009 now out-of-print).

    

I tried to think of crazy food combinations in the first one, the second one is a short poem where I wonder something, the third one is a longer poem where I wonder something,  I mix the beginnings of words up in the fourth poem and in the last one I mash up words. I had fun!

Nutty Food

Peanut butter on peach,

what a treat!

Chocolate on egg,

you’re pulling my leg!

Jelly on fish,

what a dish!

Meatballs in custard,

delicious with MUSTARD!

 

Toffee

If all the world were made of toffee

we’d be stuck together in a sticky heap

and all we’d do is eat!

 

Macaroni Moon

If cheese was made of MOON

and the MOON were made of cheese,

I’d eat toasted MOON sandwiches

grated MOON on tacos, MOONy pizza

MOON on crackers, cauliflower MOON sauce.

YUMMMMEEEEE!

 

But at the start of the night

there’d be CHEESElight

on the bed as I read.

SMELLLEEEEE!

 

 

Dinner Time

“Excuse me,”

asked Sam.

“Would you like

chish and fips for dinner?

Or nicken choodle casserole

pish fasta

mangers and bash

cish furry?”

“You must be joking,”

replied Jill,

“I rather fancy

sumpkin poup!”

 

 

I Love Spaghetti

I love spaghetti

it tastes DELIGETTI.

I love lasagna

it tastes DELISAGNA.

I love macaroni

it tastes DELICONI.

I love fish

it tastes DELICIOUS!

© Paula Green  Macaroni Moon Random House 2009

Starting points for food poems

Here are some starting points (or ideas) for poems with food in them.

1. Write a poem with your favourite food in it. Hunt for delicious words that make the food simmer and steam in the poem.

2.. Write a poem with your least favourite food in it! Hunt for words that show us why you don’t like the taste.

3. Write a list poem with food in it (food beginning with the same letter, all vegetables, all cold things, all hot things, summer food, winter food, what your dog eats, what your cat eats, what you eat when you go to stay with your grandparents, … ).

4. Write a poem with food in it that makes you remember someone (your aunt, uncle, nana, granddad, mum, dad, brother, sister, friend …).

5. Write a food poem that makes you remember a place you visited.

6. Write a poem with food in it that takes you to a different country.

7. Write a disgusting food poem or a funny food poem.

8. Find some good similes for food.

9. Write a poem that has no more than twelve words about the most delicious thing to eat in the world.

10. Write a poem about what is in your lunch box.

Don’t forget to send your poem to paulajoygreen@gmail.com. Include your name, age, year and name of school. You can include your teacher’s name and email. You have until Thursday July 4th 5pm.

This week on Poetry Box it’s time for lunch and tasty treats

People are already talking about the food in my new book of poems (The Baker’s Thumbprint). I got asked about it when I did my radio interview with Lynn Freeman and the one for the Nelson Mail. And I always say I love food (I love to eat it and I love to cook it!) as much as I love writing (I love to read as much as I love to write!).

So I have decided this week it will be food week (and maybe the next few!), but I am going to add something extra and that is the wonderful world of similes. We are also going to play with these. On Monday I will set you a food-poem challenge with a simile twist, on Tuesday I will give you some starting points, on Wednesday I will give you some poetry tips on similes, on Thursday it is time for poetry play, and on Friday I will share a food poem.

The tasty food-poem challenge: I challenge you to write a poem with food in it AND at least one simile. Tomorrow I will give you lots of starting points for food poems but my tip is to go on the hunt for words that will make my mouth water. Your poem might be from your imagination or it might be from a real experience. I am hoping some younger children will give this a go! You can be from Year 0 to Year 8!  Your poem can be really short or long (but no more than 20 lines).

Send to paulajoygreen@gmailcom. Include your name, age, year and name of school. You can include your teacher’s email and name if you like. You have until Thursday July 4th 6pm.

The first winning poem (older) will get one of my precious copies of Macaroni Moon (I have only got a few left and it is out-of-print!) plus a a tasty cake of chocolate (ooh I hope it doesn’t melt in the post!).

         

      

The second winning poem (younger) will get a copy of the glorious Marmaduke Duck and the Marmalade Jam by Juliette MacIver and Sarah Davis thanks to the lovely Scholastic (and a cake of tasty chocolate). This picture book is all about food. Everybody wants to taste Marmaduke Duck’s marmalade jam and things go a bit wrong before they go a lot right!

Juliette has used lots of lively words to give her story zing and zip:

‘He peeled it, zested it, sugared it, boiled,

stirred it, tested it, tasted it, toiled.

And if I have some extra favourite poems I might have to get some extra cakes of chocolate to post you!