‘For my niece’
By Kae Tempest
I hold you in my arms,
your age is told in months.
There’s things I hope you’ll learn.
Things I’m sure I learned once.
But there’s nothing I can teach you.
You’ll find all that you need.
No flower bends its head to offer
teaching to a seed.
The seed will grow and blossom
once the flower’s ground to dust.
But even so, if nothing else,
one thing I’ll entrust:
Doing what you please
is not the same
as doing what you must
‘A Baby’s Feet’
by Algernon Charles Swinburne
A baby’s feet, like sea shells pink,
Might tempt, should heaven see meet
An angel’s lips to kiss, we think,
A baby’s feet.
Like rose-hued sea flowers toward the heat
They stretch and spread and wink
Their ten soft buds that part and meet.
No flower bells that expand and shrink
Gleam half so heavenly sweet,
As shine on life’s untrodden brink
A baby’s feet.
‘I’d Love to be a Fairy’s Child’
by Robert Graves
Children born of fairy stock
Never need for shirt or frock,
Never want for food or fire,
Always get their heart’s desire:
Jingle pockets full of gold,
Marry when they’re seven years old,
Every fairy child may keep
Two strong ponies and ten sheep;
All have houses, each his own,
Built of brick or granite stone;
They live on cherries, they run wild –
I’d love to be a Fairy’s child.
‘Love you more’
by James Carter
Do I love you
to the moon and back?
No I love you
more than that
I love you to the desert sands
the mountains, stars
the planets and
I love you to the deepest sea
and deeper still
through history
Before beyond I love you then
I love you now
I’ll love you when
The sun’s gone out
the moon’s gone home
and all the stars are fully grown
When I no longer say these words
I’ll give them to the wind, the birds
so that they will still be heard
I love you
Wishes for A Child
by Joanna Miller
May you know the gift of friendship,
Feel the sun upon your face,
May you win displaying dignity,
And accept defeat with grace,
May you marvel with the wonders,
Of nature and the earth,
May you value education,
And know your own true worth,
May you live and love with honesty,
And do the thing that’s right,
May you stand up for the helpless,
And sleep in peace at night,
May you thrive upon a challenge,
And sing and dance and laugh,
May you know the joy of parenthood,
And follow your own path.
Here we are
by Oliver Jeffers
Well, hello.
Welcome to this planet. We call it Earth.
It is the big globe, floating in space on which we live.
We’re glad you found us, as space is very big.
There is much to see and do on Earth, so let’s get started with a quick tour.
The planet is basically made up of two parts.
Firstly, let’s talk about the land.
It’s what we’re standing on right now.
We know lot’s about the land.
Then there is the sea, which is full of wonderful things.
We know a lot about the sea, but we’ll talk more about that once you’ve learned to swim.
There is also the sky.
Though that can get pretty complicated…
OK, moving on.
On our planet, there are people.
One people is a person.
You are a person.
You have a body.
Look after it, as most bits don’t grow back.
The most important things for people to remember are to eat, drink and stay warm.
People come in many shapes, sizes and colours.
We may all look different, act different and sound different…
But don’t be fooled, we are all people.
There are animals too.
They come in even more shapes, sizes and colours.
They can’t speak, though that’s no reason not to be nice to them.
You may not be able to speak yet either, even though your head is filled with questions.
Be patient, you’ll learn how to use words soon enough.
Generally how it works is that when the sun is out, it is daytime and we do stuff.
The rest of the time is night, when it is dark, save for the moon and we sleep. (Please?).
Things can sometimes move slowly here on Earth.
More often though, they move quickly, so use your time well.
It will be gone before you know it.
Though we have come a long way we haven’t quite worked everything out, so there is plenty left for you do.
You will figure lots of things out for yourself, just remember to leave notes for everyone else.
It looks big, Earth, but there are lots of us on here, so be kind.
There is enough for everyone.
Well, that is planet Earth.
Make sure you look after it, as it’s all we’ve got.
Now, if you need to know anything else … just ask.
I won’t be far away.
And when I’m not around … you can always ask someone else.
You’re never alone on Earth.