The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

I Just Ate a Poem

I just ate a poem
and now I feel sick.
The rhymes slipped down easy;
it happened so quick.

The words looked quite tasty
sat there on the page,
inviting my mind
(and my mouth)
to engage.

But then all that imagery,
exquisite but rich,
began to expand
like a helium-filled witch.

The rhythm beat gently
on my stomach wall,
each couplet tap-tapping
its lyrical scrawl.

Alliteration approached at such speed that stampeding sickness was sure guaranteed.

And then it all settled;
the nausea ceased,
as my stomach digested
the creative feast.

It giggled and gurgled
with language and thought.
Each scrumptious stanza
my stomach now sought!

Are there more poems?
This new hunger’s a curse!
Could you write one for me?
Pretty please? Just one verse.

About the Writer


Ian Brownlie

Ian lives with his family in Marlow, Bucks (UK). His prospective middle grade novel, Solomon Brown from Hero Town, was longlisted for the Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition. His poems have been published in The Dirigible Balloon and The Toy. BlueSky: @ianbrownlie.bsky.social TikTok: tiktok.com/@ianbrownliewrites