Buccaneer Baby
I didn’t ask you to come sailing
over my horizon, wailing and wet
like a squall at sea.
You took the wind out of my sails.
It was my birthday
when Mum unwrapped you.
I wanted a Nintendo Switch.
I tried pretending you weren’t here at all
stealing Mum’s time
captaining our new world
from the comfort of your bouncy chair.
But in the night, you crept
to curl your tiny fingers round the chart
of my desert island heart
and your sticky kisses
claimed it with a
X
over my horizon, wailing and wet
like a squall at sea.
You took the wind out of my sails.
It was my birthday
when Mum unwrapped you.
I wanted a Nintendo Switch.
I tried pretending you weren’t here at all
stealing Mum’s time
captaining our new world
from the comfort of your bouncy chair.
But in the night, you crept
to curl your tiny fingers round the chart
of my desert island heart
and your sticky kisses
claimed it with a
X
This poem is copyright (©) Jennifer Watson 2026
About the Writer
Jennifer Watson
Jennifer writes poetry and fiction for children of all ages. Her poetry has been published by The Emma Press (The Head That Wears The Crown), who also shortlisted her anthology ‘Big Bang Ping’ for publication. Jennifer's poems were included in a CLiPPA shortlisted anthology published by the Manchester Writing School. She has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and the Wasafiri New Writing Prize. She lives in Kent and is currently writing a picture book adventure series.
