Poems

Brilliant

Today Mum called me brilliant
and that’s just how I feel

I’ll run a race
I’m bound to win
I’ll take up golf
Get a hole in one

Because today Mum called me brilliant
so that’s what I must be

I’ll paint a picture
A work of art
I’ll design a car
It’s sure to start

Because today Mum called me brilliant
and she always speaks the truth

I’ll write a song
It’ll be a hit
I’ll train a dog
It’ll stand and sit

Because today Mum called me brilliant
Yes, today Mum called me brilliant

Today Mum called me brilliant
So how am I feeling? BRILLIANT!

(from Brilliant)

Absent

Dear Teacher,
my body’s arrived
it sits at a table
a pen in its hand
as if it is able
to think and to act
perhaps write down the answer
to the question you’ve asked

but don’t let that fool you.

My mind is elsewhere.
My thoughts far away.

So apologies, teacher,
I’m not here today.

(from Brilliant)

Best Friends

Would a best friend
Eat your last sweet
Talk about you behind your back
Have a party and not ask you?

Mine did.

Would a best friend
Borrow your bike without telling you
Deliberately forget your birthday
Avoid you whenever possible?

Mine did.

Would a best friend
Turn up on your bike
Give you a whole packet of your favourite sweets
Look you in the eye?

Mine did.

Would a best friend say
Sorry I talked about you behind your back
Sorry I had a party and didn’t invite you
Sorry I deliberately forgot your birthday
– I thought you’d fallen out with me

Mine did.

And would a best friend say, simply,
Never mind
That’s OK

I did

(from Wanted Alive)

Birds Of A Feather

My cat
is old. All she
wants is food, warmth and a
comfy knee. My cat’s a home bird.
Like me.

(from Brilliant)

My Cat Is In Love With The Goldfish

I wish she could understand
that the two of them can never meet.

Glass and water will keep them apart forever.

But she stares constantly, longingly, adoringly at him.
It’s as if she’s thinking
‘You look good enough to eat.’

Ah! How sweet.

(Not from ‘My Cat Is In Love With The Goldfish’  A&C Black, 2010)

Under the Weather

I hate being under the weather.
It’s cold down here.
And damp.

I’d rather be over the moon
or head in the clouds.
Flying high.
Staring at stars.

Everything’s getting on top of me.

I hate being under the weather.

A Life of Adventure

My bed
is a spaceship.

My pyjamas
are my spacesuit.

My bedroom is outer space.

When the light goes out
‘we have lift-off.’

I hurtle towards planet sleep
and explore that world
until it is time to leave.

At first light
‘we have touchdown.’

A safe landing.

I rise from my spaceship.
Rinse off the space dust.
Put on my earth clothes
and report to Mission Control.

I eat breakfast
and board the bus for school.

The school bus
is a submarine.

My school uniform
is a submarine commander’s uniform.

The road I travel on
becomes the ocean I dive to the bottom of.

All poems copyright Bernard Young

Copies of Brilliant and Wanted Alive can be bought from Bernard. See under Books

bernardyoungpoet@btinternet.com