The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

I Know That You Need Me

Listen to Jacqueline read her poem ...
I know that you need me.
All winter long
I keep you warm and dry,
Shelter you from storms,
Protect you from the bitter, biting winds,
But what thanks do I get?

You toss me carelessly on the cloakroom floor,
Leave me to be trampled by doubtless countless feet,
Discard me, dripping, in doorways,
Cram me cruelly into carrier bags
Then lock me in a dark cupboard
All summer long
Where I never see the sun.

You treat me with cruelty and contempt.
Fate dictates that you despise and hate me
And are desperate to be separate from me
Yet I know that you need me.

About the Writer


Jacqueline Shirtliff

Jacqueline is a poet and primary school teacher on the Isle of Man. One of her favourite things is helping children to love poetry and reading and encouraging them to be writers themselves. She lives in a rose-covered cottage near the sea and enjoys gardening, crochet, and playing the tuba and harp, but not all at the same time! You can read some of her other poems in The Caterpillar, Tyger Tyger, Northern Gravy, The Toy, and Little Thoughts Press.