Playground Tra-la-la

1. Hopscotch

Hopscotch, hopscotch,
up and down, from box to box.
Use a slipper and heave it high;
where it lands don’t step inside.
Hop over the slipper and then,
hop your way to the very end.
Should you finish each square that way,
you will have a winner’s pay.

2. Moral

Let us play some moral.
Inside some squares, bounce a ball.
Roll to the first and then inside,
bounce the ball that number of times.
Bounce your way to the very end
and then start all over again.
Should you complete each trip in style,
take a bow, you’re a winner, child!

3. Marbles

This is a verse filled with marbles,
dozens of balls as small as pebbles.
Draw a circle and that’s the ‘ring.’
Place some marbles and then begin.
Choose your ‘taw’, that’s your piece;
aim it at the marbles, don’t miss!
Pitch until the ring is clear.
If you collected the most, throw your hands in the air!

4. Pick-pick

This is a rhyme about pick-pick.
Gather some pebbles then take your pick!
Toss it in the air and before it lands,
grab as many as you can hold in your hand!
If the stone drops, it’s another’s turn;
if not keep going until the pebbles are done.
Once you are the person with the most stones,
Then guess what my friend? You won!

About the Author

Fidelia Fisher has loved reading and writing since her childhood and always dreamed of one day being a great writer. She is a primary school teacher and the author of the 2016 picturebook, Shaka the Nutmeg Seed, as well as some poetry and short stories. She has been recognized by the Grenada Union of Teachers for her writing. Her inspiration is her son, Kriston, and her love of literacy. She currently lives with her family in the quiet village of Pomme Rose, in the lovely spice isle of Grenada.

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Bougainvillea Girl

Iguana by Merry Phillips

Flowers, get your bougainvillea flowers!
Fresh from me mammy garden!
Pink and orange, purple and white;
what a very lovely sight!
Me special Grenadian flower it is,
growing on me mammy bushes.
She backyard full up ah dese,
a special treat for de honey bees.
See how I nice with me bright pink flowers
blessed by de hot sun and July showers?
Make nice centrepiece for your tables and dem,
to put in your hat or give all you friends!
Bougainvilleas for you?

About the Author

Fidelia Fisher has loved reading and writing since her childhood and always dreamed of one day being a great writer. She is a primary school teacher and the author of the 2016 picturebook, Shaka the Nutmeg Seed, as well as some poetry and short stories. She has been recognized by the Grenada Union of Teachers for her writing. Her inspiration is her son, Kriston, and her love of literacy. She currently lives with her family in the quiet village of Pomme Rose, in the lovely spice isle of Grenada.

About the Illustrator

Merry Phillips has a B.A. in Fine Art from Capital University and an M.A. in Art History and Library Science from Kent State University. She taught art for three years to junior high school students in Nassau, Bahamas and for 27 years she taught art to both elementary and high school students in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and was also a high school and elementary school librarian. She taught watercolour and basic drawing at the University of the Virgin Islands. She owns a small Christmas Ornaments company in St. Thomas. Now retired, she is currently an aspiring children's book author.

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[Excerpt] Morning Star Horse/El caballo Lucero by Margarita Engle

Margarita Engle is well-known for her historical verse novels for young readers, all of which have garnered her numerous awards. In the wake of the recent US election, she penned a powerful personal essay citing the importance of bridging past and present as her motivation for writing about history. Her realistic fiction works have brought forgotten Cuban heroes like Juan Francisco Manzano and Millo Castro Zaldarriaga back from the margins of memory.

Now, Engle is adding fantasy to her oeuvre. Her forthcoming bilingual middle grade novel, Morning Star Horse/El caballo Lucero, is a historical fantasy about Cuban children at San Diego’s Raja Yoga Academy. In these pages, Engle shines a light on the much overlooked true story of the late-twentieth-century Lomaland Theosophical community which recruited uneducated Cuban children for its experimental school, including the "famous eleven" Cuban child detainees at Ellis Island. Engle, who was born and lives in the United States but spent childhood summers with relatives in Cuba, also draws on her childhood love of horses and folklore. Scheduled for January 2017, the book will be published by HBE Publishing, based in the author's hometown of Clovis, California and described by Engle as an "innovative small publisher." Here is the description from the book's jacket:

"When Mamacita chose to call me Estrellita, / it was her way of imagining a little bit / of starlight, deep down in that cavern / where only rare streaks of day or night / could reach--now, Lucero and I will be / Morning Star and Little Star, / a lit-from-within racing team!"

A young girl stricken with rickets and her mother face the aftermath of the Spanish-American War, the challenges of a new century and innovative teachers. Dreams realized and dreams crushed exploring the freedoms only a magical horse can offer.

Award winning author Margarita Engle brings a tale of history mixed with a touch of fantasy.

Engle is an Anansesem advisory board member and we are thrilled to exclusively share this excerpt from the book's opening.

Morning Star Horse/El caballo Lucero

MARGARITA ENGLE | 10 MINS

© HBE Publishing 2017
Translated by Alexis Romany

About the Author

Margarita Engle is the Cuban-American author of The Surrender Tree, which received the first Newbery Honor ever awarded to a Latino. Her other verse novels have received the PEN USA Award, and multiple Pura Belpré and Américas Awards. Her verse memoir, Enchanted Air, is a Pura Belpré winner and YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award finalist. Books for younger children include Drum Dream Girl, The Sky Painter and Mountain Dog. Her 2016 books are Lion Island: Cuba’s Warrior of Words, a young adult verse novel about Antonio Chuffat, a hero of the Chinese- African freedom struggle in 19th century Cuba (Atheneum), and Morning Star Horse/El Caballo Lucero, a bilingual, magic realistic middle grade historical verse novel (HBE Publishers). She lives in central California with her husband and his wilderness search and rescue dog.

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Poems by Victoria Krylova

Night Owl

While the world is asleep,
dreaming of busy days,
in the crystal night
hides an owl.

Quiet, the moon’s finger stroking its wings,
lost deep in thought,
half-watching the scampering shadows below,
smarter than the world knows.

Friend of the misty night,
sleep will come,
but later, much later.
For the owl, darkness is life.

Limerick


I once was so sick, was so ill
that I ate a pill and some dill.
I canned my cat
and swallowed my mat
until I got rid of my chill.

About the Author

Victoria Krylova is 16 years old although these poems were written when she was 12 years old. She is homeschooled and in tenth grade. She enjoys swimming, gymnastics, writing, reading, feeding birds, ballet, scrapbooking and cooking. Her favorite subjects are science and writing and she loves Jesus. She lives in Tennessee, USA.

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Sock Bugs

Illustration source: ClipartFest

When I woke up this morning
there was itching in my socks.
I was fine the night before
when I was playing with my blocks.

Something happened while I slept,
someone has moved in!
Little bugs are living where
once nothing there had been.

At first I was quite angry,
I was positively cross!
They didn't even ask before
deciding they were boss.

But then I noticed something
that I hadn't quite before.
The bugs were lovely company;
I laughed ‘til I was sore!

They offered me some cookies,
they offered me some tea.
My sock bugs were so courteous,
as friendly as can be.

I love my new friends oh so much,
I wish they'd stay forever,
but now my socks just smell so bad,
they’ve moved into Mom's sweater!

About the Author

Nicole Steadman is a freelance writer and photographer. She is also a mother, long-distance runner, and aspiring children's book author. Before having kids, she had a previous career in production in children's publishing and has probably read a million kid's books. She lives in San Diego, California with her husband and son.

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[Excerpt] Lion Island by Magarita Engle

Last week, Atheneum released Lion Island: Cuba's Warrior of Words, award-winning Cuban-American author Margarita Engle's eighteenth book for young readers. Here is the publisher's description:

In a haunting yet hopeful novel in verse, award-winning author Margarita Engle tells the story of Antonio Chuffat, a young man of African, Chinese, and Cuban descent who became a champion of civil rights.

Asia, Africa, Europe—Antonio Chuffat’s ancestors clashed and blended on the beautiful island of Cuba. Yet for most Cubans in the nineteenth century, life is anything but beautiful. The country is fighting for freedom from Spain. Enslaved Africans and nearly-enslaved Chinese indentured servants are forced to work long, backbreaking hours in the fields.

So Antonio feels lucky to have found a good job as a messenger, where his richly blended cultural background is an asset. Through his work he meets Wing, a young Chinese fruit seller who barely escaped the anti-Asian riots in San Francisco, and his sister Fan, a talented singer. With injustice all around them, the three friends are determined that violence will not be the only way to gain liberty.

Around the book's release date, reports surfaced that the Cuban government is blocking text messages containing words such as "democracy," "human rights," and "hunger strike," words that, in the Communist nation, often signal political dissidence. Engle, who has spoken often and eloquently about the power of words to heal and liberate, now brings us a historical YA verse novel of timely relevance, bringing light to bear on Cuba's decades-long human rights struggle and the role words play in documenting stories and shaping political landscapes. Enjoy this excerpt from the novel's opening.

Lion Island: Cuba's Warrior of Words

MARGARITA ENGLE | 5 MINS

© Atheneum Books for Young Readers
2016

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About the Author

Summer Edward is the Managing Editor and Kids Editor here at Anansesem. Her writing and art have been published in various literary magazines and anthologies. Her home on the web is www.summeredward.com.

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Tess

by Patricia Whittle

The Intelligent Iguana by Sayada Ramdial

Den a how dis ya tess so hard?
Teacher never teachi, for mi study a yard.
But how dem gi wi wa dem no teach Miss?
Sey mi fi shut up for a exam dis?

Miss mi nah look pon nobaddy paper!
Gwan mark up mi paper for mi no kya.
Afta dem gi wi tess pon wa dem no teach
Dem come tell lie bout people a cheat.

Teck di paper Miss, an gwan!
A so all a unnu carry awn
Bout Principal wi deal wid mi behaviour!
A pure foolishness a gwan ya!

About the Author

Patricia Whittle is a Jamaican librarian and a teacher of English Literature. She writes stories, plays and poems. She is the author of two books, Johnny, Mass Tom and the Fatal Error: Three Short Plays and Mi Waan Fi Publish A Book: An Anthology Of Jamaican Dialect Poems.

About the Illustrator

Sayada Ramdial is an illustrator and graphic artist from Trinidad and Tobago. She is the artist behind "Designed For A Smile", a line of greeting cards celebrating the spirit of Trinidad and Tobago Christmas. In 2012, she graduated with honours from SCAD, University for Creative Careers, where she earned her B.F.A in Illustration, with a minor in Drawing.

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Jammin’ in Jamrock

by Latoya Wakefield

Tick Tock,
There goes the clock;
It’s time to get up, up, up
And have some fun in Jamrock!

Another Day;
Let’s give thanks and praise
Before we go to the beach
To eat, dance and play.

In the sun rays, we glow
Rocking our heads from side to side
Listen, do you hear that tune?
Let’s sing along too:
Jamaica sunshine, Jamaica sunshine!
Shine on me, shine on me!

“Coo deh!” someone says;
a brown furry thing just ran by.
Is it a big rat, squirrel, raccoon??
“No,” another says “It’s a mangoose”

Soon coconut jelly arrives
We sip; aaahhhhh.
Then we splash in the big, deep blue,
Everyone that passes by
Greets us and smiles.
Everything irie mon, everything nice.

-

Latoya Wakefield works in the hospitality industry but writing is her forever love. Her story, "The Caterpillar That was Afraid of the Cocoon", first published in the May 2013 issue of Anansesem, was recently published by Bamboo Talk Press as the picturebook Irie the Caterpillar. She lives in Jamaica.

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Mama’s Laughter

by Elayne Ogbeta

Mama’s laughter starts from her toes

Beauty of the Caribbean by Maisa Abed

Travels up to her belly, then overflows.

Mama’s laughter can fly very high

Through the clouds and past the sky;

How far it flies? I do not know,

Then gently falls like tear-drops slow. 

Mama’s laughter is crazy by far

Than a hundred hyenas at a bazaar,

And just like when a monkey climbs

Her laughter swings from time to time.

Sometimes she giggles like a child

Or roars with laughter like a lion wild.

Laughter when mama fixes my bike,

Laughter for breakfast and stories at night.

No shadows lurking in the dark

When Mama’s laughter makes its mark!

When I hear her laughter from my room,

It takes my dreams up to the moon.

Even on the moon, Mama’s laughter’s there;

I can hear it dancing in the air.

Mama’s laughter through the rain

Can surely bring the sun again,

And then a rainbow I will see;

Mama’s laugh has that effect on me.

Mama’s laughter makes beautiful art,

A beauty that comes from mama’s heart.

And even when Mama’s not there,

I can hear her laughter everywhere!

-

About the author

Elayne Ogbeta lives in Salford, Manchester UK with two bubbly children and a supportive hubby. Ever since she was ten years old, she knew she wanted to be a writer. She is a freelance children’s writer and also designs greeting cards. She studied MA Creative Writing for Children at Manchester Metropolitan University.  She is the author of Anansi & The Dutchy Pot (Author House, 2011), and her work has appeared in anthologies including: Mama Blew a Kiss - Happily Ever After - A Creative Collection for Children (Forward Press, 2011); Rapunzel, Rapunzel - Shangwe Hair & Skin Anthology (2010); Bath-time Bubbles- A Collection of Poems for Children (Forward Press, 2009); and Rapunzel, Rapunzel - Hair, A Journey into the Afro & Asian Experience (Suitcase Press, 2006).

About the illustrator

Maisa Abed is 11 years old. She was born in London to Iraqi parents and she is in Year 7. Her hobbies are reading, studying science, playing the piano and art. 

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My Wish Quilt

by Summer Edward

Quilt by Summer Edward

I like to dream,
just me and what I think.
I see from outside looking in,
all my funny thoughts,
some of them strange.

I can do my own dreaming
anywhere, any time.
I have all the yarn I need,
pieces of the story inside
to stitch the dream
together like a quilt,
my wish quilt.

I like to dream 
my wish quilt full of words
I choose, heroes I invent.
My mind sends me postcards,
places new or real in life.
The places are mine now.
What I dream I own;
I’m in charge.

I like to dream
when I’m all alone,
in class not listening at all,
on the bus looking out.
My stories have patterns
full of guessing.

Shake out
the wish quilt
of pictures in my head
moving more
than pictures outside.

-

About the Author...

Summer Edward is the Founder and Managing Editor of Anansesem. Her poems, fiction and art have been published in tongues of the ocean, BIM: Arts for the 21st Century, St. Somewhere, Philadelphia Stories, The Columbia Review, Obsidian: Literature in The African Diaspora, The Caribbean Writer and more. She is currently at work on several picturebook manuscripts.

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The Hippocatamus

by Sarah Venable

The hippocatamus*
looks like a cat.
It’s furry and fat
but enormous.

It has a yawn
As big as your lawn.
When you call it,
It comes – bigly.
When it plays, though,
It’s quite wiggly.

After eating a meal
It washes its face
quite delicately –
Some say “with grace.”

Though it’s cute when it naps,
Keep it off your laps!
It’s helpful in your house
For hunting the enormouse.

If you’ve never seen
A hippocatamus
Look deep between
The this and that-amus.

By this I mean
Your imagination.
Make animals up!
It’s called creation.


*The plural is hippocatami. They often ask themselves “Whatami?”

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About the author...

Sarah Venable was born in the United States, educated all over the world, and has lived in the Caribbean since 1992. This broad perspective influences her work as a writer, painter, tutor, and culinary creator. Her poetry, fiction and nonfiction has been published in regional and Barbadian magazines such as Maco and Ins & Outs of Barbados, Poui, in a previous issue of Anansesem, and in The Truth About Oranges, an anthology of NIFCA-winning work. Having come out of the poet’s closet a few years ago, she is preparing to open another door with her collection of children’s stories. Meanwhile, working with children in the WISE (Writers in Schools and Education) programme gives her a pleasurable challenge which sometimes leaves her hoarse. She lives in Barbados.

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Thinking

by Jaixia Ellis (age 13)

Thinking about how the elder
felt when I asked her all those personal questions.
Did she feel I was intruding?

Self-Portrait by Effie Quansah-George, age 9

Thinking how I felt reading
out loud to a bunch of strangers on camera.
Was I saying things the right way?

Thinking in the beginning
if this is a waste of time being here.
In the end I realized I thought wrong.

The old lady came from Grenada.
Some things she said about her early life
made me think of mine.
Her smile, the look in her eyes.
Do we have a connection?

Thinking about the old lady, how I felt.
I had learned something special.
That was an experience!

-

About the author

Jaixia Ellis, known as ‘Jai’, is thirteen years old and lives in England. She is of mixed heritage; her mother’s family are from Jamaica and her father is English. She is a member of the Writing, Acting and Publishing Project for Youngsters (WAPPY) and her hobbies and interests include writing, reading, singing, arts and crafts, and modelling. Jaixa is looking forward to writing her first novel one day. Her poem, ‘Fingers Crossed’ was published in 'The Soul of a Child', and her artwork was chosen for the front cover.


About the illustrator

Effie Quansah-George is nine years old and lives in England. Her mother is Ghanaian and her father is from Grenada. She has three older brothers and a niece who is two years old.  She enjoys Physical Education, English (especially reading and writing poetry), Science, Design and Technology, and ICT at school. Effie loves sports, dancing, fashion, and being part of the Writing, Acting and Publishing Project for Youngsters (WAPPY). In the future she would like to be a fashion designer. Her poem, 'Haiti' was published in 'The Soul of a Child' when she was seven.

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The Lighthouse

by Damian Balassone

When night has fallen from the sky
I light the dark with loving eye,
I stand above the angry sea,
above the gulls that circle me.

I stand above the angry sea,
yet sailors cannot fathom me,
ignoring my rotating light
I shine on them from lonely heights.

Ignoring my rotating light,
they lose themselves within the night,
but still I long to set them free;
if they would fix their eyes on me!

I stand above the angry sea,
a thousand miles from Kingston quay,
and though lost travelers pass me by,
I light the night with loving eye.

-

About the author...

Damian Balassone lives in Australia. His writing has appeared in a variety of Australian and international publications, including Overland, Arena Magazine, Eureka Street, Australian Rationalist, New Formalist, Lucid Rhythms, Time of Singing, tongues of the ocean, and Green Left Weekly. His second full-length volume of poetry is forthcoming from Ginninderra Press in 2013. His work was recently included in And the Crowd Goes Wild!, an anthology of sports poems for children.

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Gorgeous Granny

by Conrad Burdekin

Granny by Lilian Fitchett

Gorgeous Granny,
lucky me,
my best friend
for all to see.

Wrinkled face,
sparkly eyes,
tells tall stories,
gives high fives.

Knobbly knees,
jumps in puddles,
loses keys
likes long cuddles.

Gnarled up fingers,
painted toes
loves big jumpers,
wears posh clothes.

Munches chocolate,
eats dry bread,
girly giggles,
hair dyed red.

Drives too fast,
cries at songs,
makes me happy
all day long.

Gorgeous Granny,
lucky me,
my best friend
for all to see.

-

About the author...

Conrad Burdekin holds a degree in English Literature from the University of South Africa and is the author of two poetry books for children, The Hungrumptious Blumpfh and Teachers Pick their Noses. He lives in Yorkshire, England.

About the Illustrator...

Lilian Fitchett was born in Sheffield, England in 1969. She studied art at Barnsley college before moving south to study art and fashion. She has always had a passion for art and was thrilled when she landed a job in Barnsley teaching art to primary school children full time. She paints scenery for school productions, and draws and paints in her spare time. She is the illustrator of two collections of children's poetry, Hungrumptious Blumpfh and Teachers Pick their Noses, both by Conrad Burdekin. She is married with three very creative children and enjoys spending time with her wonderful family.

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Trouble

by Goldie Alexander

There's this boy in my class.
He mucks around all the time.
Can't listen, stay quiet,
or read. His writing’s a mess.
Grant's always in trouble.

Thick brown hair. Freckles. Funny thumbs.
Button eyes too close together.
Kids call him ‘Stupid’ and ‘Fatty.’
Sometimes he hits back.
Grant’s always in trouble.

His best thing is DVD's.
He knows everything about Lord of the Rings.
Everything. He talks a lot.
I won’t sit next to him. When I do
I’m always in trouble.

Most days Ms. Brown puts him in the corridor.
“That boy’s a problem,” she snaps.
“Never listens. Can't stop fidgeting.”
Mrs. Stead agrees. “Should be at another school.”
Grant's always in trouble.

Our class holds a competition:
“Who can tell most about Lord of the Rings?”
“I know lots,” Grant cries. “It’s my best thing.”
But Ms. Brown sends him to the Principal for yelling in class.
Grant's always in trouble.

“Golem,” says someone.
“What else?” Ms Brown asks.
“Bilbo Baggins!” “Frodo!” “Mordor!”
We try hard. No one wins.
Grant knows everything about Lord of the Rings.
But he's not here. He’s always in trouble.

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About the author...

Goldie Alexander is an Australian author of books for both adults and children of all ages. Her latest novels for young adults include Lilbet’s Romance and the sequel, Dessi’s Romance. Her historical fiction includes My Australian Story: Surviving Sydney Cove, now in its 10th edition, and The Youngest Cameleer about the finding of Uluru in 1873. Amongst her other works are three collections of short stories for young readers. She also writes scripts and non-fiction. Her website is www.goldiealexander.com

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Hugs

by Conrad Burdekin

Doggie Hug by Lilian Fitchett

Hugs from granny are chin-spiky,
finger-wrinkly, bone-creaky.
Hugs from grandad are hair-ruffly,
pat-on-the-back-y, pinch-my-cheeky.
Hugs from my dog are extra smelly,
super slobbery, tail-waggly.
Hugs from my dad are spinny and dizzy,
high up and whizzy, squashy and squeezy.
Hugs from my mum are safe-feely,
soft and cuddly, fall-asleepy;
these hugs are best-of-all-y!

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About the author...

Conrad Burdekin holds a degree in English Literature from the University of South Africa and is the author of two poetry books for children, The Hungrumptious Blumpfh and Teachers Pick their Noses. He lives in Yorkshire, England.

About the Illustrator...

Lilian Fitchett was born in Sheffield, England in 1969. She studied art at Barnsley college before moving south to study art and fashion. She has always had a passion for art and was thrilled when she landed a job in Barnsley teaching art to primary school children full time. She paints scenery for school productions, and draws and paints in her spare time. She is the illustrator of two collections of children's poetry, Hungrumptious Blumpfh and Teachers Pick their Noses, both by Conrad Burdekin. She is married with three very creative children and enjoys spending time with her wonderful family.

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No One Can Outrun Bolt

by Benjamin Jasinski-Eshun (age 14)

What?
Bolt beaten! Defeated!
By this...Yohan Blake!
Twice! That isn’t nice.

But wait!
Bolt strikes back
and wins back his glory.
His defeats in the trials were
only temporary.

His performance varies,
not in the best of shape
at that time.
But Bolt knew he would be fine.
This was just a warm up for him
and his rival/friend.
He was well aware
he'd be running again.

He knew he would win
and he did.
Outrunning all other men.
For in the trials,
there was only a little fault with Usain Bolt.

-

About the author...

Benjamin Jasinski-Eshun is fourteen years old and is in Year 10 at high school. He likes creative writing, acting, music, drama, basketball, and researching certain topics of interest. He was born in London and is of Ghanaian and Polish parentage. He had two poems published in The Soul of a Child as well as his artwork.

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An Anansi Warning

by Effie Quansah-George (9 years old)

People think you are scary,

Anansi Spider by Ida Mwangi

but I find you are sweet.

They say you bring me good luck

like an apple falling from a tree.

Black, brown and scary,

and sometimes, thin, skinny and hairy.

I see you in your web

spinning silk and tales,

leaving mysterious words of different trails,

sharing stories all around the world.

Fiction or fact?

Anansi... please cut me some slack!

-

About the author

Effie Quansah-George is nine years old and lives in England. Her mother is Ghanaian and her father is from Grenada. She has three older brothers and a niece who is two years old.  She enjoys Physical Education, English (especially reading and writing poetry), Science, Design and Technology, and ICT at school. Effie loves sports, dancing, fashion, and being part of the Writing, Acting and Publishing Project for Youngsters (WAPPY). In the future she would like to be a fashion designer. Her poem, 'Haiti' was published in 'The Soul of a Child' when she was seven.

About the illustrator

Ida Mwangi is ten years old and has a young brother who is six. She enjoys writing, English, maths,  singing, dancing, sports, drama, art, and reading a lot. When she grows up, she would like to be a lawyer and make lots of money! Her parents are from Kenya and she lives in London, England.

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Dancing with the Moon

by Tom Deiker

My friend the moon stops by at night,
She waits for me outside
And should a lonely cloud drop in
We play at peek-a-boo.

I love to dance around the yard,
My friend the moon does too
And when I run from house to tree
She always follows me.

I can even make her hide
Back behind our fence,
Or plop her right on top a tree
Just like a Christmas star.

For fun I sometimes set my moon
Up on our chimney top,
But when I give a great big wink
She always jumps right off.

No one else can make her dance,
Not even Mommy can;
Every time that Mommy tries
My moon just sits and grins.

Do you think that you can do it?
Well, go ahead and try!

-

About the author...

Tom Deiker graduated from Louisiana State University with a Ph.D in Clinical Psychology. His articles, essays, short fiction and poetry have appeared in several dozen publications. Of his 85 plays, 35 have received 61 stagings by theatres in the United States. He has traveled to most of the Caribbean islands and read much of Caribbean history and literature. He has incorporated Trinidad English patois and folklore into his plays and screenplays.

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Colours

by Indira Sammy

Green and yellow parrots flying by.
Long orange carrots for sale catch my eye.
Black birds on the guava tree.
Purple ribbons on the bicycle passing me.
Red and blue mad bull soaring in the savannah.
People eating golden brown pholourie and some eating channa.
Red, yellow and green snow-cone from the snow-cone man,
Armed with a white tin of condensed in his hand.
Pink cotton candy, mint green and sky blue.
Violet and indigo pinwheels spinning endlessly too.
A beautiful rainbow arched in the sky,
A rainbow full of colours, which ones do you spy?

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About the author...

Indira Sammy is from Trinidad and Tobago. She recently completed an MSc. in Financial Management. Her true passion is writing and she enjoys writing Caribbean stories that children can enjoy. Indira's kids are her greatest inspiration.

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