Our Second Birthday
Hello Balloonist!![]()
Jonathan here!
Two years ago, on August 1st 2021, twelve intrepid poets launched the very first flight of the Dirigible Balloon. Featuring thirty-six new poems written for children, they took off into the skies, sharing this free-to-view work with kids, teachers and families around the world.![]()
In the months that followed, the Dirigible Balloon lifted off many more times and we now have over a thousand poems written by over two hundred poets from all sorts of different countries. We've also published an anthology called Chasing Clouds: Adventures in a Poetry Balloon through which we're trying to raise money for the National Literacy Trust (copies of the book can be ordered through our website).![]()
To celebrate our second birthday, we're having a special anniversary edition of poems based on the theme of FLIGHT. These poems will be released on August 1st 2023 for our lovely readers to enjoy. Who knows what wonderful ideas our poets will come up with? I, for one, can't wait to find out ...
To set the scene, below is a poem written last year about the lovely lark and its marvellous summer song ... I hope you enjoy it.
JH
The Lark's Song
Jonathan here!
Two years ago, on August 1st 2021, twelve intrepid poets launched the very first flight of the Dirigible Balloon. Featuring thirty-six new poems written for children, they took off into the skies, sharing this free-to-view work with kids, teachers and families around the world.
To celebrate our second birthday, we're having a special anniversary edition of poems based on the theme of FLIGHT. These poems will be released on August 1st 2023 for our lovely readers to enjoy. Who knows what wonderful ideas our poets will come up with? I, for one, can't wait to find out ...
To set the scene, below is a poem written last year about the lovely lark and its marvellous summer song ... I hope you enjoy it.
JH
The Lark's Song
The song that I sing
is the story I tell
of the trees and the flowers and sky.
The notes that I use
in the song that I sing
lift the wings that I use when I fly.
High up in the clouds
when I soar on the wind,
I sing of the glory of flight;
a ballad for streams,
for the rivers and hills,
for the stars and the moon in the night.
I sing of the forest,
of holly and oak,
of sorrel and Jack-by-the-Hedge.
I sing of perfection
in each blade of grass,
of the dew in damp fescue and sedge.
I sing of the fox
and the cat and the rat
that prowl by the bins in the town.
I sing of the owl
hunting voles in the fields
in a silence created by down.
I sing of the courtship
of moths in the dusk,
of dances in autumn and spring.
I sing of bold butterflies,
dragonflies, wasps,
of the bounty that honey bees bring.
And as I ascend
on a clear summer day,
down below I see nature unfurled.
The song that I sing
is the story I tell
of the beauty of life in our world.
is the story I tell
of the trees and the flowers and sky.
The notes that I use
in the song that I sing
lift the wings that I use when I fly.
High up in the clouds
when I soar on the wind,
I sing of the glory of flight;
a ballad for streams,
for the rivers and hills,
for the stars and the moon in the night.
I sing of the forest,
of holly and oak,
of sorrel and Jack-by-the-Hedge.
I sing of perfection
in each blade of grass,
of the dew in damp fescue and sedge.
I sing of the fox
and the cat and the rat
that prowl by the bins in the town.
I sing of the owl
hunting voles in the fields
in a silence created by down.
I sing of the courtship
of moths in the dusk,
of dances in autumn and spring.
I sing of bold butterflies,
dragonflies, wasps,
of the bounty that honey bees bring.
And as I ascend
on a clear summer day,
down below I see nature unfurled.
The song that I sing
is the story I tell
of the beauty of life in our world.
This poem is copyright (©) Jonathan Humble 2024
About the Writer
Jonathan Humble
Jonathan lives in Cumbria. His work has been published online and in print in a number of magazines and anthologies. His first collection of poetry, My Camel's Name Is Brian, was published by TMB Books in 2015. His second poetry book, Fledge came out in 2020 through Maytree Press. His poems for children have been shortlisted and highly commended in the Caterpillar and Yorkmix poetry competitions and he is the editor of The Dirigible Balloon. His poems Masterclass and This Work is Done were chosen as the Milk House Poem of the Year at the end of 2022 and 2023.
