They Tremble in their Beds December 7, 2010

Dandelions cower, tamed,

afraid of seeming silly;

purring softly, too ashamed

to roar before the lily.

Daisies with their simple charms

blush pink beneath the rose;

shrinking, blinking, in alarm

at all the thorns she grows.

Flowers of the hedgerow fear

the cultivated garden.

As they scent its blossom near

their hearts begin to harden.

Their dread is sharpened by their hate

of being seen as weeds,

the garden flowers sense its weight

within their infant seeds.

They blaze their precious pampered pride

 for all the world all to see

whilst wishing hotly, deep inside,

that they could, too, be free.

And so they tremble in their beds

as wilderness creeps near,

the bindweed and the columbine

united in their fear.

.

Paul Hughes 2010

Consoling Daisy… April 25, 2008

 

Dew drops

from your petals

tears don’t fall from roses

but should, for their beauty is fraud

maintained by dung, pruning and chemicals

soon faded by sun and greenfly

your purer beauty shines

reflected through

dew drops

 

Paul Hughes 2008

 

This rictameter is a little out of the ordinary as far as this blog goes. I’m furiously reading other children’s poems in order to render myself more versatile. I haven’t read a children’s rictameter, yet, but read about the form yesterday and thought I’d give it a try. It’s the kind of thing which seems to fit in a Year 9 English SAT or GCSE anthology. I think the message is straightforward enough. Post a comment if you have any views on its merits. It’s an experiment anyway. Worth a shot!