The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

Grandfather's Words

Listen to David read his poem ...
When you call me Grandad
you make me megaglad.

Scots Granda or Granpaw
aye leaves me wantin more.

You might even glide
into Welsh, where I’m Taid.

Shouting Bamps or just Bampi
won’t get me all grumpy.

Yes, I’m your Abuelo or Abu,
your Nonno, your Tata, your Babu.

In Dutch your old Oupa,
in Bangla just Dada.

How cool is Umkhulu,
so zingy in Zulu!

When shove comes to pushka
try Russian Dedushka.

So why all the laughter?
I’m just your Grossvater!

About the Writer


David Bleiman

David is a grandfather and poet living in Edinburgh. He loves to write across the languages and his first pamphlet, This Kilt of Many Colours (Dempsey & Windle, 2021) is a multilingual mixter-maxter in English, Scots, Spanish and Yiddish. This celebration of David's Jewish heritage includes the prizewinning Trebbler's Tale, written in a partly excavated but largely reimagined lost dialect of Scots-Yiddish. With the sense of humour of an overgrown schoolboy, David is now writing childish poems for himself and other children.