The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

Dear Mrs Kent

Listen to Sarah read her poem
I fear I must write home to say
the way that Clark behaved today,
fell rather short in most respects
of standards that this school expects.

It pains me to call Clark a cheat,
but when he reads my answer sheet
with X-ray vision, I’m perplexed –
are we quite sure he needs those specs?

And levitating in the hall?
It’s not acceptable. AT ALL.
I quote: ‘You told us not to RUN –
and flying really is more fun’.

But using ‘freeze breath’ on my tea?
Well, THAT was the last straw for me.
It turned to ice, and cracked my cup
and frankly now – I’m quite fed up.

Don’t get me wrong. His future’s bright,
if he could just learn wrong from right.
Might I suggest a sticker chart?

Yours sincerely,
Mrs Hart

P.S.
A note on uniform:
Now that the days are getting warm,
the shorts are fine – but could he stop
the wearing underpants on top?

About the Writer


Sarah Ziman

Sarah is originally from Wales, now living in Hertfordshire. She prefers to write poetry for children, though thinks that the best poems can be enjoyed by people of all ages. She has twice been highly commended in The Caterpillar Poetry Prize, and won first prize in the 2021 YorkMix Poems for Children Competition. Her work has appeared in The Best Ever Book of Funny Poems published by Macmillan, various magazines and websites.