The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

The Gurgle

Listen to JH read his poem ...
There's a place within our bathroom
which is damp and full of gunge;
it is where the Urgle Gurgle eats
the shampoo, soap and sponge.

I'm convinced it's had Dad's toothbrush
(he's been brushless for a week)
and my plastic duck has disappeared;
it went without a squeak.


In the spot where Mum’s leg razor was
there’s just a soapy space
and the bath cap that my sister wears
has gone without a trace.

Where my Granny put her false teeth
is a first class mystery …
but my guess is that the Urgle Gurgle
ate them for its tea.

For the clues are there for all to see
if you should care to look,
with prints found all around the bath
from claws all caked in muck.

The Gurgle lives and eats within
the basin over-flow.
I have seen its filthy features
as I've washed my face
and so …
I advise you all to keep clear
of this strange and hungry creature!

By the way, has anybody seen
my dear old Aunty Rita?

About the Writer


Jonathan Humble

Jonathan lives in Cumbria. His work has been published online and in print in a number of magazines and anthologies. His first collection of poetry, My Camel's Name Is Brian, was published by TMB Books in 2015. His second poetry book, Fledge came out in 2020 through Maytree Press. His poems for children have been shortlisted and highly commended in the Caterpillar and Yorkmix poetry competitions and he is the editor of The Dirigible Balloon. His poems Masterclass and This Work is Done were chosen as the Milk House Poem of the Year at the end of 2022 and 2023.