Anthology of

2020 Animal Poems

Year 7

Stratford Girls’ Grammar School

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
The Goldcrest, Matilda J (7O)

The goldcrest soars above the treetops,

Her miniature wings painted grey-green,
Carrying her delicate body through the sky.
Her shrill cries fill the empty air,
As she glides towards her treetop home.

The coniferous tree is where she hides,

Away from predators and out of sight.
Light as the wind, she barely rustles the branches
Of her safe green haven.

She launches off a branch, lifting into the air,

Her golden crown glistening in the dappled sunlight.
The foolish birdwatcher never learns -
She is too quick for him to see.

The child, perched atop a tree,

Is lucky enough for her to come near,
Frozen with wonder and admiration
For this little bird with her golden crown.
The child waits, lets her come close,
But the little goldcrest flees, her miniature wings painted grey-green.

Chicken – Eva H (7P)

I hunt the wild winters
And graze the withered grass,
I climb the haunted trees
And whisper their unspokens,
Yet no one seems the hear.
I'm the lock to your keys,

I play the severed summers

And beat them at their game,
Wash the winds with fire,
Give them a world of pain.

They think I'm sweet,

They think I’m plain,
They think I'm simple,
They think I'm mundane.

Nothing is further
From the unforgiving truth!
Feeding you lies
And thinking we don’t think.
The Crow – Lydia B (7P) The Swan – Dionne S (7P)
Black body with beady eyes,
Large, robust figure Gracefully gliding gleefully
Perches high up in the trees Across the beautiful blue lake.
Like a cat waiting to pounce. Swiftly swimming and bobbing along
In a playground after break, While frantic fish bolt past underneath.
Diving down from their towers,
Flapping and snapping at each other, Cloud-white feathers dazzle in the scorching sunlight
Fighting for whatever food they can get. And breadcrumbs are scattered across
Being an omnivore, they eat what they want- The sparkling still water. Her eyes spy the brown crumbs
And twinkle with hunger. Carefully, she tilts her poised
Swooping in circles like a vulture, Head and bends her long neck to reach her food.
Staring and waiting for a sight of food.
With their long glossy bill, Content, she paddles away with perfect posture
They make an irritating sound. Into the descending sun. Colours
Nicknamed messenger of death, Melt into each other; day morphs slowly into night.
A reminder that magic is everywhere. The swan is at peace.
Plus with the fact they kill each other,
And a group of them is called a murder.
The crow is a mysterious, villainous creature.

Flightless seabird dives cautiously into the deep, azure water below for her baby - Vishwa M (7P)
Crash!
A glacier plummets down, slaughtering and pillaging,
Through who knows how many homes, how many lives.
With eyes as big as an owl’s, he watches silently, his heart shattering,
The truth hits him like a warm wave, unwanted.
The taste of the salty sea turns bitter,
Creating a hollow emptiness around him.
The wrinkled sea moves in, he kicks it away.
“Mama,” he wails.
No reply.
“What have you done to this planet?” he squawks,
Wanting his mother’s safe wing. He rocks himself.
Tears trickle from his sore, sorrowful eyes
They don’t turn to ice
Anymore, not like they used to…
Rainbow - Hannah S (7P)
My breath combines with the birds -
They are smiling; chattering as their sharp beaks open and shut.
White mountains loom over us, rocks showing a little beneath the heavy snow – we are not afraid;
Meagre mounds of flour – with hidden swirls of chocolate.

My face creases into a smile; more accompanying the flock!

Such joyous, wondrous, amazing feathers:
Crimson, fiery red, amber...
Azure, aquamarine, emerald, jade, fern green...
Rainbow Lorikeet Haiku – Eilish D (7P)
My hands reaching out to touch the rainbow -
Freeze - Flying over trees,
Drop to my sides - The wood beneath ablaze,
They have flown away. I’m going home now.

My eyes peering into the distance – I catch sight of them! The sweet air turns sour,
They fly in a half-crescent shape, The smoke on my green feathers,
I see hundreds of bright, colourful, happy birds, forming But the nest is safe.
A rainbow.
My my family are safe,
Flying home to see them soon
With food, I will come.

Red, green, blue, yellow,

What Was Once Beautiful, Betty L (7O) Coloured feathers of my flock,
Finally, I’m home.
Its light blue feathers chatter in the wind.
Gracefully gliding through the sharp wind.
The jungle squawks with bright arrays of yellow and emerald green.
Wings extended as it soars through the azure sky,
Wind whistling in its ear holes.
Beige claws grasp branch of towering tree,
Gazing at its luscious green surroundings.
Cheerful chirping of exotic animals.

Its huge rusty yellow eyes peer at a metal machine spluttering in the distance.
Loud whirring of gears grinding,
This monstrous thing approaches the fragile, worried bird.
The once beautiful wood beneath the bird’s claws was slowly breaking.
The loud machinery sliced and diced.
Further and further into a place of dreams
Further and further into the home of the parrot,
Perched on the chopped down gigantic brown oak tree.
Leaving a path of destruction and wreckage.
Silence,
The colourful jungle once filled with life falls silent.
The Owl - Eleanor P (7O)

Small mouse nibbling,

With fur so soft and brown,
At the smooth surface,
Of a fallen acorn.

Above, sharp intense eyes,

Scan the bleak landscape;
Swift wings taking her gliding,
Across the dense and navy blanket of night.

Through the thick and hazy mist, The Shape-shifting Owl - Grace G (7O)
The owl distinguishes her prey:
A small mouse nibbling, “Who,” she said, in the dark night sky
With fur so soft and brown. For she was a lone star
Soaring high,
Agony, for a short and excruciating moment,
Then floating away from reality, Playing like a puppy,
Through the endless void of darkness; Sleeping like a log,
The owl had swooped, her talons had sunk. Eating like a goat.
She looked ordinary
Huddled together, But she was different:
In the mess of entwined twigs: The shape-shifting owl.
Four delicate balls of fluffed up feathers,
Soft shining eyes peeping out. Turning into a lion
While chasing a mouse,
The single mother returns, She was a vampire
Her young crowding round, Who slept through the day,
Desperate for affection, She was a log under the summer sun,
Their vulnerability demanding love and protection. She was a goat
Who would even eat a frog,
Their small, harmless beaks nudge, She was the fittest fiddle
At the body hanging from her beak: And busy as a bee.
A small mouse,
With fur once so soft and brown. Next time the blanket of night falls upon us,
Look out of your window.
If you’re lucky, you might just see
The shape-shifting owl, whoever she may be.

Pigeons - Izzy G (7O)

They potter about with clumsy Hammering invisible nails all day Woosh! And the race has begun.
feet long It’s a rush for the food:
In vibrant pools of sunlight At five o’clock sharp every Feathers fly here and there!
Strutting like arrogant men evening Passers-by stop and stare
Under their metallic coat Here she comes At how this lovely park
Is just a greedy hammerhead “It’s the old lady with the Has turned into a rugby field!
breadcrumbs!”
The Attempt of Flight - Molly F (7O)

The wind ruffles its fur briefly,

Sending shivers through its body.
Standing statue still
Waiting to soar through the sky,

Bold as an eagle, strong as a bear,

Watching the suns rays cover the floor.
No time to dawdle –
About to stride, she can’t fall down.

The soaring had begun:

She breezed across a carpet of lush leaves;
Gliding, free as a bird,
Sailing across an abyss of blue.
Minute wings beating hard - Amelie G-H (7P)
As she vanished amongst the clouds
Minute wings beating hard
Everything else faded into a distant blur.
Red flashing by,
The sun began to hide her glow Black spots all blurred.
The moon rose into view. I spy some lice down below,
And so I dive down,
The time is near to safely sail to land Just as I feel the wind ferociously blow.
Now to return to her mystical cave
Deep in the darkness she has to remain Feathered wings flapping rapidly,
Hidden Sharp, dark eyes darting round,
Until another day. My being defying gravity.
I spy a diminutive Ladybird far below,
And so I expand my beak wide,
Just as I feel the wind ferociously blow.

With a gracious elegance I soar through the skies,

Talons round and eager,
When I get a delicious surprise.
I spy a Swallow soaring below,
Bees – Mia M (7P) And so I start circling,
Just as I feel the wind ferociously blow.
Light as a feather
Dodging all fright With a substantial appetite I glide,
Free as the wind Feathers the most handsome of them all,
A beauty in flight I rule the skies with pride.
I spy a circling Hawk only metres below,
My yellow eyes greedy at rare prey,
Singled out
Just as I feel the wind ferociously blow.
Alone to hunt
Harvesting Honey Slight legs scurrying hastily,
An incredible stunt Escaping the clutches of a foul crimson creature,
Who took a windy blow fatally.
Flying over I spy a piquant leaf,
A flower sea With my legs scuttling faster than ever,
They spread And as I sink my mouth into it, I let out a sigh of relief.
What Does A Bee Feel? – Zion E (7O) Thoughts of a Bee – Zoha A (7O)

The bee flutters through a blue sky, Her fuzzy body ambles along,
For the noon is heavy with heat. A cheering crowd beckons her.
In the light of midday, Tufts of fiery red tulips envelope her,
She seemingly emerges for her The buzzing dot she settles on in the rainbow meadow and
Pursuit of mankind - Black stripes can be identified on her intricate yellow body.

She flutters through a blue sky, A glorious life no doubt,

For the noon is heavy with heat Forever roaming freely through tumbling hills,
But first one must consider her Fluttering through fields white as chalk.
Beauty, the gold and black patterns that
Line her body, the softness of her fur What goes through her mind, I wonder?
The sharp buzz that lingers in her wake -
She gazes up at the turquoise canvas above,
She flutters through a blue sky, Forever pondering if her life may amount to more.
For the noon is heavy with heat; If even for a moment she could be author,
She carries the aroma of sweet honey; If ever she could be the one to paint the sky,
She delicately spins and that we eat. To make her mark.

She flutters through a blue sky, Her soulless life –

For the noon is heavy with heat - Pick a flower, drink the nectar
Mere mortals screeching loudly Pick a flower, drink the nectar –
Eternally embellished.
In her path. I cannot understand She wonders if besides a scream or swat,
How such a small being can strike Will she – herself – ever be given a thought?
Fear into the hearts of many.
Her fuzzy body ambles along,
When she is aroused, her dagger A cheering crowd beckons her.
She will valiantly extract and then Tufts of fiery red tulips envelope her,
Pierce The buzzing dot she settles on in the rainbow meadow and
Then rapidly, unconsciously Black stripes can be identified on her intricate yellow body.
Her gut she empties, blood rushing,
She weakening, antennae drooping, A glorious life no doubt,
Then blackness enveloping her corpse… Forever roaming freely through tumbling hills,
What does a bee feel? Fluttering through fields white as chalk.

All I know is that by her act of fury, What goes through her mind? I wonder.
She
Perishes.
When I Saw a Busy Bee – Tara S (7P)
Softly humming – quietly working.
Black and yellow stripes
Shimmer in the golden sunlight.
His suicidal stings may be dangerous
But he truly means no harm.
He pounces like a tiger
From flower to flower, devoted and determined.

So small yet fearsome.

So vital – yet deemed to be lethal.
So stripy yet so subtle.
The bee returns to his hive humming with life.
The Prey, The Ant, Maya S (7O)

In sorrow it treads,
For its back is crippled and blackened, That cannot fight back or sting or punch.
With the burden of its nature: Only run.
Six twigs, ready to give way,
But still proceeding, nevertheless. With heavy loads and miles of walking,
Oh, it is too much for its peril figure,
Purpose of its life, If only tears were not streaming down its face,
This ant has not a clue, It could create the illusion of control, better yet,
Stumbling and carrying leaves and food to live and power.
The food isn’t even his to share.
But on this tread the six twigs do give way,
What has this tiny creature? Falling to the ground. The ant feels ‘smaller than’,
A bird, its beak; a bee, its sting. For the ant knows that ‘greater than’ equals
An ant? Its perseverance shall not and does not ‘better than’,
Replace the power of its peers. And the ant knows better than to fight.
This creature has spent its life running from
predators, But in one final act of beauty,
Only to realise that it is prey, As the ant perishes, it will bite.

The Spider, Elizabeth D (7O)

Watercolour World – Amelie B (7P)
The spider crawls from tree to tree,
Spinning webs for her growing family, I take a sip from each flower,
Then creeps along the old shed floor, Singing as I go, for I
To save herself from the dangers galore, Am a bee.
She climbs right up an old bike tyre, I dance, and twirl, and whirl
Slips across a thin black wire, Round my watercolour world,
Traverses over hooks in nooks, Each flower painted so delicately.
And a huge old box of books, And I was painted, in black
Then wanders back into the wild, And yellow.
To catch in her web somebody’s child. Fine, furry brushstrokes
That glitter in the sunlight
My transparent wings so delicate and small.
Changes – Annabelle H (7P) My wings buzz in the cool breeze,
As the trees swish and the flowers sway.
Is a caterpillar, glum and overlooked? I return to my hive,
If she could, she would camouflage completely. And watch over
Her time had arrived, and she languidly drifted to sleep. My watercolour world.
Time elapsed.

Like an outburst, brilliant rainbows and sun-kissed magnolias,

Artistry and allurement bloomed, she was lissom yet
She held her posture with divine dignity, but
Through the cascading sun and auburn leaves around her,
She knew she was still a neglected caterpillar
At heart.
The Squirrel – Megan S (7O) Spring Squirrel – Emma B (7P)
Where the oak tree lies,
Deep in the forest, He sits there,
I find you there Silent,
Searching for acorns. The wind whistling through the trees rustling them,
His belly grey like your breath on a frosty morning.
As I come near, His ears twitch for a split second,
You scurry over, He is still, again.
Chirping, Then in a blink of an eye, he bolts up the tree,
Purring. As fast as a lightning strike,
He is not alone though, he has company;
In my outstretched palm, There is another squirrel.
Are nuts and berries. She is more chestnut brown in colour,
I found them coming here. She springs after him, running,
Round and round.
You let me gently stroke The silly squirrels spring after each other,
Your red fur, Enough to make you fall over with dizziness!
Your red tail They stop as suddenly as they start.
Brushing against my cheek.
Don’t worry,
I hear myself say,
I won’t let them take you.

It begins as a grumbling, The Chimpanzee - Lily W (7P)

Growing to a rumbling,
And tears prick my eyes She leaps, gnarled hands tracing
As the hunters come running. The path she knows so well.
Sunlight reaches out for her,
Harmony - Alice H (7O) Turning her silky coat into a warrior’s shield.
The chattering chimps Her eyes watch everything as she glides
swing high and low Through the rich canopy, her steely gaze
through the emerald green canopies, Hiding a tangled web of thoughts.
as far as the eye can see.
Creeping azure droplets The humid air comforts her –
fall down the crooked bark, It is her home. Trees tower over
bright vivid luscious berries The forest floor, vines sweeping down like
shine like angels in their eyes. Ropes. The world is alive with wildlife here,
The chimps pick and pluck From crimson birds to scaled serpents.
the fidgeting fleas out of their fur, She is a playful creature,
playfully leaping from tree to tree. But still she hides away from the world.
Grand gorillas
sit strong and proud Like a child on a swing, she cuts through the air
in harmony with their world; But she knows this will not be her playground
Never destroying the forest, For long. The humming of the insects,
Never overpopulating The rustling of the leaves,
And living fantastic lives Will soon be but a memory of a better life,
that get cut short A life that was destroyed by Man -
because of our selfish ways. Her closest cousin but furthest friend.
But harmony can be restored.
As babies hold on to their mothers tight,
they all sleep calmly through the night.
Croc - Annabel E (7O)

Slides snake-like over the silt I Am An Ape – Elena R (7P)

Comes to a halt I am an ape,
Sits, eyes slits, on the surface I was once great,
Becoming simply scenery But then you people ruined it all
And a fish slips past. By doing what you humans do best:
Tearing my home and my family to shreds.
Its bones sink to the riverbed I know you say it was not you,
Rest on a skull But my family and my jungle are already gone.
Beneath his pale belly You may be sorry,
Speckled with scale-lines But it is already done.
You burnt it down,
And he rests.
You chopped it down,
Until not one twig could be found.
Until, upon his tombstone,
Bones You can change –
Of decaying fish lie, Not just for me
This is his place. But for all the apes who have lost their tree.
And he sleeps.

In years of yellowing,
His children
Have grown and left
He has eaten and eaten
And now he sleeps.

He knows he is old:
Death The Sloth – Jaya G (7P)
May come for him soon.
But for now, he will eat As slow as a snail,
A fish slips past. He lethargically climbs -
Sleeping in the day
But wide awake at night,
He sees his surroundings
Hanging upside down.
The Frog – Alice J (7P)
Under the rainforest canopy
Frightened flies leap away from his mouth, He grabs a plant to eat,
Flitting around, teasing him. Thinking in his head
The muted croak of a rotting boat, Yummy, what a treat!
Breaks the silence in his lake.
Crows’ legs swipe at his speckled skin, His sluggish movements,
And blind him with murky water spray. His lack of energy,
The bulge of a sodden rock Relaxing whilst baking in the sun -
Sits in his slimy algae-lined pond,
Concealed from predators’ teeth. Idle and indolent,
His tongue unravels from his powerful mouth, He is a sloth;
And captures a fly on its tip. Shiftless and lazy
All day long.
Run! - Sophia B (7O) Polar Bear Poem - Beatrix B (7O)

I lap water from a cold, dank stream A hulking, mysterious silhouette

My pack behind me Emerges from the dark shadows of dawn -
Delicate, mesmerising creatures, Its face taut with hunger,
Hunters. Ribs jutting out like a stab from a sword,
Wild eyes seek out any other forms of life in this
Suddenly, they come, Bleak white Wilderness.
Those colossal machines, Without warning, his hefty head whips around,
Destroying our lush, green forest, Sensing a tantalising scent in the air:
Our home. The smell of moose.
As he lopes along, he feels the crisp, crunching
The icy Siberian wilderness is all we have - Snow crumble beneath his huge paws.
They destroyed everything else, He is desperate for the kill.
Those two-legged creatures with the metal machines Creeping behind the prey,
Hunt us down, one by one. Lips curled into a deadly snarl,
He pounces.
This is the end. Razor sharp teeth tear into soft juicy flesh.
Nowhere to go, Sweet filling gore
We do not have long. Enriching his taste buds.
Satisfied with his first meal in weeks, he lumbers
RUN. Contently home, many miles, his white coat
Speckled with blood.
They have found us.
Paws thud along the ground
Lessen as we go.

RUN.

They are closer,

Their breath steaming up the air.
Howls as my pack falls. The Wolf - Dora I (7O)
Into a dark, desolate wood we pound,
The trees try to shelter us, The beast prowls the forest floor,
We wait, anticipating what will come next, His coat of silver dappled with snow
Blood already staining our fur. And ears illuminated by the moon’s glow.

RUN. He crouches behind an old oak,

His finger on the trigger,
The silvery moonlight becomes brighter with harsh Pointing it directly at the cold and lonely
searchlights. figure.
I glimpse them clearly in the glittering lake before me,
My pack sprint away without me. A lifeless eye remains still beside its awake
I am alone. brother
But he doesn’t need two eyes to see
RUN. How heartless the world can really be.
I cannot.
Frozen to the spot I watch them come. A pearl enveloped in lush cloud watches
Shoot the innocent animal reflected in the water, How the wolf collapses onto ground,
I watch myself fall. Its open jaw barely making a sound.

RUN.
Wolf – Amélie S (7P)
She pads softly down the luscious green pathway
Growing ever closer,
She must make this kill.
It grazes gently, unaware of her presence
She waits, hidden, fangs bared in a growl.

Suddenly, like lightning Wolf leaps, ripping, tearing with her vicious blades,
Terrified, the deer lashes out, stumbling blindly and screaming.
Blood seeps down her matted fur as Wolf holds it still,
The majestic beast that she brought down lies there, limp and The Arctic Wolf – Francesca S (7O)
unmoving The arctic wolf,

Wolf trots proudly back to her den, Stalks a soft, tiny lemming
A soft whimpering and timid whining echo throughout it Searching for food from birch trees
Her cubs get up on unsteady feet,
Their eyes feasting on this precious meal. And fields of succulent plants.

The stealthy, surreptitious wolf -

Nothing but bones is left when their finished,
And even they, will be eaten by scavengers; The arctic wolf -
They would not waste even a drop of blood
Perches in the freezing snow,
For every bite is precious to them,
Before they take the restless journey to adulthood. Its sleek, white coat keeps the wintry
weather at bay
The Wolf’s Hunt - Zayna Z (7O)
Gusts of wind snarl menacingly

The wolf’s dagger eyes present concentration, At the freezing, hungry wolf.
Eying her prey she's ready to pounce.
Thoughts of her cub’s spring to mind,
She cannot go back now.

The wolf silently prowls.

Sniffing the air, she growls;
She’s finding her fight and will not back down.
She howls, giving the deer a chance,
But knowing that it would be too late to advance,
Her menacing fangs gleaming of the moon.

Sensing the danger, the deer runs away,

But the wolf knows the woods,
Left and right,
While the deer runs like it was in a marathon,
The wolf soon catches up to her prey.
Her prey is cornered, it can tell,
The moon’s rays gleam now.
Here it would start and here it would end,
For this is a matter of life or death.
The Wolf – Sienna D (7P)

The prowler of the shadows silently emerges into the silver light of the moon,
Her eyes illuminated with danger.
One menacing howl and the trees quake, their brittle bones almost snapping.
She pads on scarred paws; remnants of her troubled past
When Man rampaged through the lands with billowing plumes of smoke,
That flourished from scalding wings,
Flames of orange danced through the forest, stripping the trees of their parched flesh,
They licked her skin with scorching ferocity, blackening the thick fur,
Until it was diminished to coarse strands of hair and her identity concealed by a blanket of ash.

But even the toughest, most hardened predators are no match to death’s insatiable appetite.
Now icy daggers claw at her skin, numbing almost every sensation,
Except for the incessant growling in her stomach
As the thought of food gnaws at her mind.

She hears a blood-curdling howl from one of her pups, full of despair and pain.
The wolf races toward her pup; the maternal instinct to protect overcomes her
But her life is not without threat, especially during the cruel reign of Winter
When all succumb to its icy grasp
And bodies remain forever still.

The Hunt - Veda G (7O) The first flash strikes the ground. Emanating danger,
Up he looks, Pounding through the snow,
He sits silently, searching; It's there. All hope of survival gone for the
The wind gently ruffling his fur, The golden ball of fluff, tiny bunny
His eyes, dark pools encased in Framed against the picturesque The third flash
his head, landscape The beast propels forward,
Gazing over the bleak landscape, The tiny prints engraved in the Soaring through the air,
he sleek blanket Every second he grows closer,
Watches. Growling, he digs his claws The intense look of hunger
He watches the grove of conifers down, glazed over his eyes,
swaying in the breeze. The second flash Untamed and wild in frenzy,
He watches the ever growing And he’s gone Reaching his prey,
carpet of snow thicken. Growling and snarling He hesitates
He watches as the sky darkens. As his vicious fangs are bared The fourth flash,
His eyes focused on one thing: He pounces.
His prize The life of the tiny soul
The tiny, helpless ball Gone.

The Leopard - Erin C (7O)

She bounces and pounces in the vibrant vegetation,
But then her eye meets theirs,
She sprints as fast as a meteoroid for she can’t be caught.

She hides in the dark,

Where no one can reach.
She knows that if she is found,
Her cubs shan’t live as kings and queens.
Of Life – Florence B (7P)
Nature! – Kanishka A (7P)
The creature roams
Through a desert A fish leaps through the ocean,
Of gold; While trying to make a graceful motion
Its beady eyes scanning Up, above the sky is blue,
For a flash She looks at the birds
Of movement, Wishing she was there too.
Of life.
Down in the ground a hunter sees its prey,
Under the fur, It’s skin black, white and grey.
We can see a Only one hundred miles to the west,
Cold, A lion is at rest,
Hungry, Soon the hunters will take him away!
Helpless creature He won’t be seen the next day!
Hoping for another day Why is there so much cruelty,
Of life, When this world could have so much beauty?
I believe we should all stand true
Trapped in a deserted, And try and make this world beautiful too.
Soulless atmosphere
With only his pack to keep him.
They ask if they will have another day
Of life.

Soon he will go hungry.

He could die,
But he is a lion:
A brave,
Fearless Leader
And it is his job to be brave
About life!
The Lion – Vivienne A (7P)
This is what he should be,
The wind whispers through his flowing mane,
What is expected of him,
A cloud of leaves plummet at the exhaling of the trees,
Because he
The sunrise sets fire to the land, dying it flaming colours,
Is a Lion.
And the dull silence is piercing.
It is in the rulebook
The grasslands ache with none to trample it,
Of life –
Clouds drift meaninglessly across the bird-less sky,
He stands alone, he lives alone, he breathes,
His pack rely
Alone.
On him for support,
For food,
Thunder claps and lighting stabs at the earth,
For life …
Droplets of rain cascade down rocks and ledges,
Trees and mountains,
Forcing the land to drown and thrash.
His pride is gone,
And death awaits him too,
But it will not come,
Why won’t it come?
Life is unlived without those to share it.
The Tiger Is… - Lottie A (7P)

Fire and ash, striped across his carefully brushed main,

Unwelcome strokes, not by him but by his captors,
Neat, but skeletal,
Providing happiness, but miserable,
On lead or in cage,
The tiger is…
Piercing black eyes stare in hatred,
Agony, engraved within,
If you look to see his pain,
Loved, yet trapped,
Fed, but starving,
A pet, but wild inside,
The tiger is…
Seen as a big cat, but he is not a cat,
He never will be a cat
For he is a tiger,
Not for you,
Or for me,
But for himself,
The tiger is…
In need of help.

The Tiger - Niamh C (7O) The Cheetah – Morven V (7O)

The tiger prowls through land not his Silently it waits

Searching for food to feed his family Hiding in the undergrowth
Who lie at home in anticipation Invisible to the world
Of a meal to satisfy growling stomachs. Its eyes vigorously darting around
Scanning the sunset and the horizon
A roe deer walks uneasily, For easy targets.
For the earth is uneven Soundlessly it crouches
(All the better for a swift catch) In the dry grass,
Oblivious of the stalking predator Watching. Hoping that its journey
In the swaying jungle grass. Was not in vain.
Then something catches its eye –
A twig snaps. A figure, a dark shape with horns
The deer whips round Emerges from the wilderness
But sees only the robin Oblivious to the danger that lies in its wake
For the tiger is concealed. Tense and ready to pounce
The skilled hunter leaps to its feet
The robin spies a tail swishing impatiently A blur
In the tall jungle grass. Racing across the bare terrain
He tweets a warning to the roe and flutters away. Followed by a trail of dust
The deer canters off. And within seconds
Its destination reached,
The family will have to wait another day. The game won
And the race was over.
Steely Assassin - Alice W (7O) A Cat that Lives in a House, Lily F (7O)

A young prancing apprentice I’m a cat that lives in a house.

Serenades the sleeping city, Some cats live on the street but not me,
Joyful for the promise of sunrise; I’m not one of those cats.
Waking the workers
As the wind dances through the leaves. Those cats don’t have their own food,
But some steal mine and my friend’s too,
None see the silent hunter So whenever one of those cats comes into my
Stalking its plump but feeble prey, house,
Unsheathing its fine needle-like claws, I hiss and I scratch until they go out.
Eyes fixed and narrow:
A steely assassin’s daggered glare. I’m a cat that lives in a house.
Some cats live on the street but not me.
Crouching attentive, still I’m not one of those cats.
Bristling with anticipation,
Nature sounds its siren: whistling leaves, Some have no ears, some have one eye,
A screeching pigeon, But that’s street cats for you,
Our apprentice spreads its feathered wings… They like to fight.
I just stay safe in my own home.
But alas, too late;
The killer strikes! I’m a cat that lives in a house.
The meal’s last shrill shriek echoes around the valley. Some cats live on the street but not me,
I’m not one of those cats.

If Not – Annamaria K (7P)

Like a swift snake, she sneaks around the alleyway,

Like a careful cheetah, she clambers closer and closer until she’s upon your back,
Like a malicious monkey, she picks a fight to earn everything,
Like an eerie eel, she frightens the life out of you as she pounces on your head.

Strolling with ease, his head held high,

With sea green eyes,
He rules over his little domain,
While he eats the fresh fish that he had claimed.

Aromas of things that seem familiar,

Dance around her,
Teasing her and mocking her,
They lead her to
The rosewood coloured door of the corner
Fish ‘n’ Chip store.

There are many types that roam the planet:

Big, small, slim, sassy, scavengers and every other type,
But you’ve probably guessed what I’m talking about,
If not, they’re called cats!
 A Barcoded Horse - Sophie S (7O) The Lazy Panda – Sophia L (7O)

An optical illusion, Black - white went the ball of fluff,

That tricks your sight: Tumbling down a hill!
No colour, not HD ready, Once she had reached the bottom she stopped and
But only in black and white. laughed;
The playful panda was happy.
She struts before me,
Her mane standing up straight and proud. Plodding through the bamboo forest,
Every detail about her is loud! Trying to find rest,
She says to me, An expression of pure excitement crossed her face,
“Black with white stripes is what your kind say, FINALLY, she had found it: the perfect place to
But this matters not, I’m beautiful either way!” nap!
She curled up tightly like she was in a cocoon,
Oh, how everybody loves these creatures, Off to sleep was the lazy panda for the afternoon.
With black and white distinctive features.

The Panda – Cara G (7P)

Rolling around, tumbling down hills,
Their fur keeping out the chill.
Bamboo is their food,
And it needs to be well chewed!
Climbing a tree,
To see what you can see:
Sleeping Alone,
In their own zone.

The Life of a Lonely Turtle – Lana C (7P)

There were lots more like me, I knew it, I just hadn’t seen them yet.
There were fish, occasionally. But nothing would compare to having a companion.
Gliding along the fresh blue sea,
Sunlight penetrating through my shell, into my heart;
That warm glow I liked to call home.
Murmuring, the mini water droplets became less ferocious.
Silence, here it came:
Tumbling, clumsily like a toddler, the waves came, whispering
and just like that…
Gone. Calm again, the only thing to hear was the fizzing of the abandoned bubbles.
My breakfast, as crisp as ever, the long and vibrant green strands dancing with the coral.
Chomping, the saltiness tickling my taste buds, I loved seaweed.
Wisdom, experience, knowledge, wasted on a quiet life, no one to share it with.
Longing for the day to come when I would meet my soulmate.
I caught a glimpse, heart racing flippers flapping, swimming fast, faster than ever before
This was my chance, the moment of truth, I was certain, it had to be!
Nothing. Imagining, dreaming, I was lost.
Flashes of browns, greens, pinks, purples, reds. The coral was my only friend.
Eyelids drooping, head lowering, sky darkening, I floated gazing at the stars.
Asleep. Waiting for another day, hoping.
I shared my story with myself, the sand, the occasional fish that swam by in a hurry
Until my time came.
No more fresh salty seaweed, no more star gazing, no more hoping or dreaming.
I had finished my race of life. Asleep. Forever.
Dolphin Pod, Charlotte S (7O)

Spinning gracefully,
They tumble playfully,
Living their own carefree,
peaceful lives. The infant leaped,
Then submerged soon after,
They talk in a secret language, And now everybody knew,
Unknown to mankind; That this would end in a disaster.
As they splash around with ease,
We are totally blind. Her innocent shining eyes,
Pleaded for help,
But this one, fateful day, As her movement was impeded,
I’m ashamed to say, By a forest of plastic “kelp”.
We poisoned,
Where they loved to play. She wrestled and fought,
With the indestructible waste,
Toxic, But this was worse than anything,
Vile waste, She had ever faced.
Poisoning their home:
Foul smelling, A plastic bag covered her fin,
Sea-life shuddering; A bottle on the poor things head,
More man-made mess. But no one would dare come help her;
Disaster. Within minutes she might be dead.

They grouped together, Her mother spins in distress,

In their little pod, The others frozen to the spot,
But a child broke away, To see who would make the first move,
Chasing after some cod. Can they save the child or not?

The Dolphin – Lucy E (7P)

The Siren – Eirys H (7P)
The dolphin cuts through the sea,
Stealing breath, before it dives again. In the ocean, by a barren shore,
Clicking its tail as it leaps through the air. Lurks the Siren, a piece of ancient lore
The silent dolphin disappears into the sapphire ocean. Biding silently and watching with grace
For an innocent to sail through her
A fish leaps from the water, place.
Dancing to escape from the advancing predator,
But losing stamina it succumbs to the chase. Enchanting melodies flow over waves -
Eyes glinting like priceless gems -
The dolphins collect around the boat, But all who hear her alluring song
Their sleek backs glistening in the setting sun. Have already been condemned.
Dipping they leap vast distances across the ocean,
Playful after the hunt, wallowing in the water. Waiting to see a boat’s sails,
Beads of sea spray clinging to her
Swiftly dancing dolphins as fast as fish, finned tail,
Powering through the air, Not a Mer, for they do not enslave
Taking a last breath before disappearing into the sunset. Whereas she will drag you to a watery
grave.
Dolphin in the Sea – Ineha R (7P)

The friendly dolphin

Gracefully
Dives, splashes and tumbles -
All sleek and smooth
From head to tail.

A playful clever creature,

Leaping, all happy!
But you see a dolphin
Is a clever creature,
Clicking in the velvet ocean.

The Unassuming Monster – Rhiya I (7P)

He pierces through the calm steady water, intrusive. Disruptive.

His strong tail, leaving behind a trail of tension and fear.
The murderous blades in his mouth, show off their sparkle,
winking, teasing, like bait enticing you into its trap.
Shimmering in the sun’s light of gold, surreptitiously seeking attention.
Proud and prowling in the water’s dark, hollow depth.
Wating for a friend, any unassuming target keeping its precious distance
From the inevitable, that would lead to their dire fate.
He watches alone, alert and menacing,
eyes darting left and right, shooting spears of ravenous desires.
A vicious empty-hearted monster – no cares, no concerns…
Or is he?
Is he just misunderstood?
An “unassuming survivor”…

The Graceful Good Willed Goldfish, A School of Fish – Aleeza A (7O) Until,
Swathi J-V-S (7P) A shadow is cast across the sun’s
The sun’s rays rebound off the azure rays,
The graceful good-willed goldfish ocean, The ocean is plunged into darkness.
Spreads its fins like wings Chinks of light breaking through, A wiry net sweeps through the
Leaving a wake of bubbles Beaming deep into the darkest parts waves,
As he glides aimlessly of the breath-taking stretch of blue, Scattering the school,
Twinkling past the flowers of the Dozens of fish hauled upwards.
Wades through water like air, sea.
Docile and amicable species, The shadow passes,
Rummaging through chromatic A school of silvery fish dance past, The sun’s rays rebound off the azure
gravel Twirling in and out of rocks and ocean,
For little scraps, forgotten below. coral. Chinks of light breaking through,
The sun catches each tiny mirror Beaming deep into the darkest parts
His fins radiating autumnal hues that covers their bodies, of the breath-taking stretch of blue,
He bounces for food like a child for Rendering them barely visible. Twinkling past the flowers of the
candy The subtle movements that each sea.
Staring with stygian black fish performs, A group of silvery fish swim by,
Eyes which could pierce a diamond. Create enthralling formations. No longer a school.
Majestic Mover, Harneet B (7O)

Asian elephant awakens in her colossal jungle,

Intelligent as she uses her only tool to grab
Fruit from the canopy of luscious leaves and
Flowering flamboyant plants.

African elephant awakens, surrounded by hostile dunes,

The submerging sand leaves the shape of her.
Wrinkled from her days in the arid streaming sun,
Her sterile scene is filled with frustrating flies.

Asian elephant enjoys her luxury,

She splashes in the glistening stream,
The flies buzz in applause of her show.
Colossal swaying elephant, only wrinkled
From hours in her trickling pool.
Giant of the Jungle, Ella K (7O)
Panting African elephant,
Constantly playing hide not seek. Sky-high stomper,
Shy eyes hunting for those who want her beauty, Head brushing the twinkling heavens;
Her tusks. Her magical tusks. Rugged and royal,
She marches through her barren land, which reflects her A crown of glass-tipped leaves at her feet;
Soul. Wizened warrior,
Trudging through the jade undergrowth.
Playful Asian elephant flaps her ears with joy,
Her jungle is as alive as the ocean waves. Lumbering limper,
Suddenly African elephant turns to see a blur before her. A dance free of rhythm;
Her trunk is dripping with blood, Gregarious grey,
The hunter and his toy beside her. Her heart is made of starlight beams;
Tame hunter,
The jungle is no longer as alive as the ocean, The forest her only true weapon.
Asian elephant splashes in what seems like ashes,
African elephant’s pale, wrinkly limbs are stiff, Lordly trumpeter,
Her mournful eyes moving no more. Her triumphant calls!
She breathes her last dying breath. Placid plodder
Paddling furiously beneath the surface.

Hunted, chased,
Forever running, evading capture
Not mad, only misunderstood.
Deranged? Only deliberate, thoughtful,
Not moody, mellow.
Impregnable, yet intelligent, kind;
No monster, a mother.
The towering noble of the land,
An unwieldly ballet,
Lustrous, iridescent, candid eyes of
twinkling sapphire.

A gentle giant.
Where next?
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