I’d already read the cereal box,

a mug, and the jam label

and the headlines of the paper

that was lying on the table.

I read some writing in the sky,

I even read the road,

a tree, a sign stuck in the grass,

some number plates that whistled past,

a bag of crisps, a birthday card

(it had my name on it so that was easy).

I was reading a text message

when I should have read the door

so then I pushed instead of pulled

and dropped my mobile on the floor.

Then I started on this poem

and went out for another look

because

reading is amazing

and all the world’s a book.

Kathy Henderson

Wise One

Wise One

Wise one, wise one

how long is a piece of string?

Twice as long as half its length.

Wise one, wise one

how do you kill a snake?

Put its tail in its mouth

and it’ll eat itself up.

Wise one, wise one

What’s at the end of cat’s tail?

A cat.

Wise one, wise one

How can I get a chick out of a boiled egg?

Feed it to the chicken

so it can lay it again.

Wise one, wise one

Why do bricklayers put mortar on bricks?

To keep the bricks together

and to keep the bricks apart.

Wise one, wise one

My parrot talks too much.

Give it a good book to read.

Michael Rosen

Apostrophe

Apostrophe

How nice to be

an apostrophe

floating

above an s

hovering

like a paper kite

in between the it’s

eavesdropping

tiptoeing

high above the that’s

an inky comet

spiralling

the highest tossed

of hats.

Roger McGough

Comma

Comma

How, great,

to, be, a, comma,

and, Separate,

one, word, fromma,

nother.

Brian Bilston

Comparisons

Comparisons

As wet as a fish – as dry as a bone;

As live as a bird – as dead as a stone;

As plump as a partridge – as poor as a rat;

As strong as a horse – as weak as a cat;

As hard as a flint – as soft as a mole;

As white as a lily – as black as a coal;

As plain as a staff – as rough as a bear;

As light as a drum – as free as the air;

As heavy as lead – as light as a feather;

As steady as time – uncertain as weather;

As hot as an oven – as cold as a frog;

As gay as a lark – as sick as a dog;

As savage as tigers – as mild as a dove;

As stiff as a poker – as limp as a glove;

As blind as a bat – as deaf as a post;

As cool as a cucumber – as warm as toast;

As flat as a flounder – as round as a ball;

As blunt as a hammer – as sharp as an awl;

As brittle as glass – as tough as gristle;

As neat as a pin – as clean as a whistle;