When we were primary school children
When we were primary school children
my mother read treasure island to us
and I could see long John Silver,
walking nearer without a leg
and the tumultuous sea
and pirates
and their treasure
stayed long with me.
At school we daily played with marbles
and performed tricks with yo-yos
and bragged about our pigeons
and between rugby and cricket
and friends and the girls
life performed daily miracles.
Today that world
is long gone
and if children steal fruit
or play rough
like children do,
the police are called in
to investigate something
immaterially small
poem by Gert Strydom
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Related quotes
Today I am sixteen again
A statue stands at the gate
of the school,
marking a place of distinction
where children get the highest grades
in the country
play rugby, cricket
and golf at international level.
Today I am sixteen again
and have to go home
as the school has been closed
because of intimidation
by union thugs, from a union
to which the teachers here
do not belong.
Five minibus taxis’s stopped
in the school yard
and black adults got out,
threw bricks through windows,
set the rugby, hockey and soccer fields alight
by splashing gasoline
and the police do not intervene.
The principal is scared
about our safety
and although the teachers here
are not on strike,
school has been cancelled
and the country is going to the ground,
falling to pieces
while a union is striking.
poem by Gert Strydom
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Some None At All
One bike to ride on
Two baby dolls
Most children have these
Some, none at all.
Three meals daily
Four friends to call
Most children have these
Some, none at all.
Five hugs a day
Daddies six feet tall
Most children have these
Some, none at all.
Seven books to read
Eight posters on the wall
Most children have these
Some, none at all.
Nine laughs a minute
Ten quarters for pinball
Most children have these
Some, none at all.
One home for shelter...
One bed down the hall...
One blessing daily...
Some, none at all.
poem by Lizzy Pureheart
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Advice to Little Children
Bless those little children
That love to go to school;
Blessed be the children
That obey the golden rule.
Children, love your parents,
For they have cared for you;
When you were little infants
They watched and prayed for you.
CHORUS:
Bless those little children
That go to Sabbath school,
For they hear of Jesus,
And learn the golden rule.
Prayed that you might some day
Give a pleasant smile,
Be a comfort in their old age,
And be a loving child.
Now my little children,
Be cheerful in your song,
And make your home an Eden,
For all the day long.
Chorus --
Love your little school-mates,
Be gentle in your play,
Be kind to your teachers,
And their commands obey.
Oh! then you will be happy
In the bright world to come,
For then your friends will love you
Forever, little ones.
poem by Julia A Moore
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Off To School
It doesn’t seem that long ago
every morning I would be up
and off to school I’d go.
Now I wake up early
and it’s off to work I go.
The years have passed so quickly
almost as if they weren’t even there
and now my children have grown up
and it’s off to school they go.
They moan about the exams
the way we used to do,
but one day they will learn,
like we did not that long ago.
That our school is somewhere
where we wish we had stayed.
8 November 2011
poem by David Harris
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Home is the first school and mother is the first teacher
Home is the first school and mother is the first teacher
Parents are the builder of children’s characters and minds,
The mother won’t be a fighter but should be a well preacher,
If she is an illiterate she must carry her children to tuition,
Howsoever the mother should educate their children first,
And she should send her children to school daily and regularly,
Teachers are not blamed not to fulfil children’s educational thirst,
Both the parents and teachers should make them the best citizens,
As we can’t work with one hand likewise we can’t walk with one leg,
Hence, parents and teachers are the same faces of the same coin,
If parents and teachers do them careless they suffer in life to beg,
Do well and have well it is said to see your own profit in life or ruin,
That is why parents and teachers are the best artists of the child,
If an art is spoilt the statue of the child looks like an ugly and a wild.
poem by INDIA Mazid S Kazi
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Beware! Children Are Watching Our Activities
Children are back from school
Grand-children are back from school;
They come home and feel hungry
Their mother is offering egg fried rice and curry;
I ask them frequently to give me a handful,
The dear ones refuse to spare even a spoonful;
I ask them repeatedly,
They refuse bluntly and rigidly;
They questioned me one day, reluctantly!
Have we 'ever' asked you 'any day' to give us
a gulp of what 'you drink' in the night daily;
Beware! Children are watching our activities
and teach them manners and their duties!
poem by V.K. Kanniappan
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The Old Doubting Thomas
The old doubting Thomas is living today
And most of his school friends long with the dead lay
To the war cry of the leader they took up the gun
And they paid with their young lives for the war to be won
The young doubting Thomas he was young back then
He did not march off to war with the other young men
And though in his honour never a parade
He feels no regret at the choice he had made.
The old doubting Thomas he feels rather sad
That in World war 1 he lost his young dad
To his widowed mother a devoted son
He promised her never to take up a gun.
He still talks of the father he never did know
A war hero almost nine decades ago
The only regret in life he's ever had
Is that he never did know the one who was his dad.
The old doubting Thomas from time looking gray
His grandchildren have school going children today
Many of his school friends died in World War 2
And the dreams that they had were not meant to come true.
poem by Francis Duggan
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The Island poem.
The Island was there surrounded by sea,
Where the family stayed, so much to see;
The birds flying in the sky, and on the water too,
Yes! They were enjoying their holiday, it's true.
The Island stretched for many a mile, they could see,
With plenty of shells, and sand, the sunsets so pretty;
The Coconut palms, and date palms, to walk in the cool,
And the children enjoyed it all, for there was no school.
The husband enjoyed to go fishing each day,
The children loved to run on the sand and play;
The wife, she enjoyed it too, to rest under the tree,
Then she called them all at night, it is time for tea.
The Island holiday soon came to an end,
The children said, our holiday we can pretend;
That we are still on our lovely holiday retreat,
And remember the birds, and the birds so sweet.
Have you ever been to an Island, for a holiday?
Maybe you travelled far, to Queensland, is what you'd say;
Or was it somewhere in the Islands of the south see?
You'll know it was a holiday to feel so very free.
poem by Margaret Haig
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John The Odd
With other children games he did not play
When they played football he would steal away
To take short walk or rest in shade of tree
He felt happy in his own company.
He did not have sporting hero as a god
And other children called him 'John the odd'
And other put down names like idiot and fool
But he ignored their taunts and kept his cool.
He loved Nature and Nature was his friend
And his leisure hours out with Nature he spend
And 'twas Nature first taught him to be a poet
And to her children his first rhymes he wrote.
He wrote of Nature's creatures living free
The birds of song who live on bush and tree
The animals that live on land and sea
He loved Nature and her huge family.
From their schooldays men recall John the odd
They say he went to join his Nature God
One morning he left home for far away
And none know of his whereabouts today.
With other boys he did not play football
And those who went to school with him recall
That with Nature he spent his leisure time
And 'twas Mother Nature who taught him how to rhyme.
poem by Francis Duggan
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One Room School
While traveling on vacation
Sometimes I come across
A one room school sitting alone
Its hopes and dreams are lost
You can almost hear the voices
Of children in the school yard
Giggling and running at recess time
For their tasks seemed very hard
Pig tails flying as little girls played
Petticoats peeking out
From under long pretty dresses
Boys laughing as they run about
Can you imagine what it was like
For teachers to teach several ages
Their learning ability so different
As they were all at various stages
Times have certainly changed now
Though learning has the basic rules
But it’s fun to imagine what it was like
Long ago in a one room school!
poem by Marilyn Lott
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Curtains
(e.john/b.taupin)
Originally performed by elton john. jeff performed it live at mercury lounge, new york, on december 31 1995.
I used to know this old scarecrow
He was my song
My joy and sorrow
Cast alone between the furrows
Of a field no longer sown by anyone
I held a dandelion
That said the time had come
To leave upon the wind
Not to return
When summer burned the earth again
Oh oh oh, oh oh oh...
Cultivate the freshest flower
This garden ever grew
Beneath these branches
I once wrote such childish words for you
But thats okay
Theres treasure children always seek to find
And just like us
You must have had
A once upon a time
song performed by by Jeff Buckley
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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If Children Ruled The World
If Children Ruled The World,
Parents, Adults and Teachers will go to bed at 8: 00
and wake up at 7: 00 to dress up for school.
At school children will treat them like nothing,
and Parents, Adults and Teachers will have nothing to do or say.
In the morning at school, they would have to line up like chrildrens used to do like every single mornings.
If Children Ruled The World,
Lollies will be for everyone even adults and parents.
Parents and Adults will have such awful rotten teeth just like all children used to have in their teeths.
Every mornings right after adults brushes their teeths or hairs, the children would have to check if their hairs and teeths are alright.
In School Trips children goes for free but the adults has to always pay.
If Children Ruled The World,
the world wou; d be treated badly.
The children would be rich and adults would be poor and always ask for children for some money.
There will be no clean water,
No food for the adults to eat except lollies.
If Children Ruled The World,
WE'LL ALL BE IN A JAM!
poem by Crystal Pongi
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Give Love To The Children
Give Love to the children Children need love everyday
Give love to the children Guide them on their way
Love's like a burning flame consumes all that stands in the way
Love is the only power on earth to take all the hatred away
GIVE LOVE TO THE CHILDREN set the children free
To make their own decisions then they will clearly see
Love is the sun the moon and the stars love is a golden ring
Love is the one thing the whole world desires be it beggar or king
GIVE LOVE TO THE CHILDREN youth has not long to stay
Love is a long term investment the best you will find any day
Love like the rising sun takes all the darkness away
Our children will tell their children and their childrens children will say
Give love to the children they are our crock of gold
and if perchance they ever stray they will come back to the fold
Give love to the children the children of today
Give love to the children and love will come to stay.
poem by Elizabeth Quinn
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Danger Streets and Schools!
As I look out my window,
into the streets of danger.
I see the children at play,
but little do they know.
Their lives can end,
while they run around at play.
As we rise in the mornings,
and send our children to school.
We never realize it but at the end,
of a school day.
our children could be dead,
by a angry child.
who has a handgun in his hand
poem by Sharon Jones
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A day of 1971
The school is three kilometers away.
Akmal was hastily walking towards the school as he was already late.
The school starts at midday.
Mother was insisting him on for long to go to the school.
But Akmal was little reluctant today.
He was experiencing something new in the whole surroundings.
His small psyche could not exactly guess what it was but something very strange was happening around him.
On his way to school Nepalda was chatting with some of his friends at a corner. Nepalda may be five to six years senior to Akmal.
Once Nepalda was Akmal’s house tutor.
Nepalda called Akmal, ‘Hey where are you going today? School? School is closed today. Don’t go’, declared he.
There was enough reason to believe Nepalda for Akmal. After all he was his teacher and he has a good reputation in the society. At least his parents consider Nepalda as a gentle young man.
When Nepalda was saying that the school is closed then he has no reason to proceed further. Yet to be sure he asked Nepalda, ‘Is it true? Our school is closed? ’
‘Yes, my boy. I am not joking with you. ’ Nepalda replied. Then he murmured, ‘Be careful. Go to home and remain in the home. Don’t come out. There may be some exchange of fire. We are ready….the army is advancing…we are ready to obstruct them…go home’.
Akmal understood nothing but he could guess that he has to return to home quickly.
It came to his mind that he did not do his home work today. So certainly he was going to be punished today if the school was open.
He was happy that the school is not open and today nobody will ask him to sit for study in the evening, he expected.
poem by Kazi Ahmed
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First Day at School
first day at school
the first real five hours
away from mom
first day at school
the thin boy, the fat boy,
the quiet boy, the one with the mother
inspired by
First Day at School
A millionbillionwillion miles from home
Waiting for the bell to go. (To go where?)
Why are they all so big, other children?
So noisy? So much at home they
Must have been born in uniform
Lived all their lives in playgrounds
Spent the years inventing games
That don't let me in. Games
That are rough, that swallow you up.
And the railings.
All around, the railings.
Are they to keep out wolves and monsters?
Things that carry off and eat children?
Things you don't take sweets from?
Perhaps they're to stop us getting out
Running away from the lessins. Lessin.
What does a lessin look like?
Sounds small and slimy.
They keep them in the glassrooms.
Whole rooms made out of glass. Imagine.
I wish I could remember my name
Mummy said it would come in useful.
Like wellies. When there's puddles.
Yellowwellies. I wish she was here.
I think my name is sewn on somewhere
Perhaps the teacher will read it for me.
Tea-cher. The one who makes the tea.
Roger McGough
poem by John Tiong Chunghoo
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Snow Day
Today we woke up to a revolution of snow,
its white flag waving over everything,
the landscape vanished,
not a single mouse to punctuate the blankness,
and beyond these windows
the government buildings smothered,
schools and libraries buried, the post office lost
under the noiseless drift,
the paths of trains softly blocked,
the world fallen under this falling.
In a while I will put on some boots
and step out like someone walking in water,
and the dog will porpoise through the drifts,
and I will shake a laden branch,
sending a cold shower down on us both.
But for now I am a willing prisoner in this house,
a sympathizer with the anarchic cause of snow.
I will make a pot of tea
and listen to the plastic radio on the counter,
as glad as anyone to hear the news
that the Kiddie Corner School is closed,
the Ding-Dong School, closed,
the All Aboard Children's School, closed,
the Hi-Ho Nursery School, closed,
along with -- some will be delighted to hear --
the Toadstool School, the Little School,
Little Sparrows Nursery School,
Little Stars Pre-School, Peas-and-Carrots Day School,
the Tom Thumb Child Center, all closed,
and -- clap your hands -- the Peanuts Play School.
So this is where the children hide all day,
These are the nests where they letter and draw,
where they put on their bright miniature jackets,
all darting and climbing and sliding,
all but the few girls whispering by the fence.
And now I am listening hard
in the grandiose silence of the snow,
trying to hear what those three girls are plotting,
what riot is afoot,
which small queen is about to be brought down.
poem by Billy Collins
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All Homeward Bound...
there is a poem that looks like a map
the syllables are trails
and there is a word that sounds so
striking
and you equate it with the 'x'
where the treasure
is supposedly found
and you keep it in your mind
always figuring
'x'
'x'
'x'
what is really 'x'?
as a treasure you mistake it for
the usual gold,
the usual finds that pirates steal from ships
and keep in secret places
sometimes under the sea
sometimes in the desert but the marking
of the cactus is gone
the poem has a lot of them
but do not be disappointed
for i am no pirate
i steal none from innocent ships
no galleons
nothing about search and visit stuff
in fact, it is not a map at all
it is a park where children play
and where we figure out what next to do
we wait for a while and then we go
yes, to home.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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We Are The Children Of The World
(p. castro/m.a. kelly)
Waiting on the wings
On the wings of time
Wonder whats to come
And what we will find
Dancing on a dream
In the magic of our mind
Reaching for the sun
As long as it shines
Living day to day
While were on our way
Well find were already there
We are the children
We are the children
We are the children of the world
Underneath the blue
In a solitary light
Guiding by a star
A star in the night
The enemy we see
Is the enemy inside
Knowing we can win
Without knowing why
Wed be lost in hope
While we search for more
We find were already there
We are the children
We are the children
We are the children of the world
We are the children
We are the children
We are the children of the world
How many times do we look to the sky
Knowing weve nothing to lose
We are the children who wanted to fly
Now we can fly to the moon
We are the children
We are the children
We are the children of the world
We are the children
We are the children
We are the children of the world
song performed by by Diana Ross
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Give Love To Children
Give Love to the children Children
need love everyday
Give love to the children Guide
them on their way
Love's like a burning flame
consumes all that stands in the way
Love is the only power on earth
to take all the hatred away
Give Love to set the children free
To make their own decisions
then they will clearly see
Love is the sun the moon and the
stars love is a golden ring
Love is the one thing the whole
world desires be it beggar or king
Give Love to youth
has not long to stay
Love is a long term investment
the best you will find any day
Love like the rising sun takes all
the darkness away
Our children will tell their
children and their childrens
children will say
Give love to the children they are
our crock of gold
and if perchance they ever stray
they will come back to the fold
Give love to the children the
children of today
Give love to the children and love
will come to stay.
poem by Akingbehin Daniel Murphy
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