Children’s Poems

Marjory Gloves was a fortunate soul
Cause just as her name implies
Her favourite item of clothing you see
Were hand gloves of quite any size

Fortunate, why?  I hear you cry
Well, it’s as plain as a plain fact can be
Imagine the luck that your surname’s the same
As the item that fills you with glee

Marjory Gloves was no snob when it came
To gloves that you put on your hand
She loved all shapes and colours, of size big and small
Whether commonly, lowly or grand

She travelled the world, climbed the highest of peak
To search for the best she could find
From the Indian plains to deepest Peru
Where hand gloves were often maligned

She once found a pair with no fingers at all
Yet strangely she felt almost smitten
A place for the thumb then a sac for the digits
She later found out was a mitten!

Fingerless Gloves – imagine her gawp
This she found really quite strange
But there in a market in London’s East End
Was a glove made for counting loose change

‘That’s right, flower, keeps me ‘ands warm
But me fingers are left to count money
See even the market staff learn to wear gloves
‘Two pounds for a jar of me honey!’

Yes she mingled with people wherever gloves were
From the beggar to highest of duke
And sometimes on meeting a person without
She would not be beyond firm rebuke

‘Where are your gloves my good man?’ she would cry
‘I declare that I strongly object
For in all social circles it is widely well known
That gloves are a mark of respect’

‘On tea with the queen, at Buckingham Palace
Her majesty’s hands I could see
No gloves were in sight, not a pair to be found
I nearly did choke on my tea

I strolled right on up to the Head of the State
And took my spare gloves from my purse
Made her put down her cake and put on the gloves
The drama was almost perverse

But the Queen promptly knew that the right thing to do
Was to put on the gloves straight away
She’d simply forgotten and was desperate to think
Of the hideous, quite ugly display

‘I’m so thankful to you Miss Marjory Gloves’
And I’m happy to shoulder the blame
For putting me right, and the loan of your gloves
It’s with joy that I make you a Dame!’

Dame Marjory Gloves, as she was now known
Carried the title with pride
She continued to travel the world with her gloves
Until reaching the day that she died

And on that very sad day, it is said
That Marjory uttered a prayer
‘I hope that in heaven are heavenly gloves
And that gloves I’ll eternally wear’

By Elliot Davis 
Dec 2004

Joshua cried, ‘I don’t like my coat
I much prefer my sailing boat!
But sailing boats won’t keep me warm
Against the wind, the rain and storm

‘I guess my Mummy may be right
That little boys should wrap up tight
Unless they do, they’ll catch a chill
And it’s no fun that being ill

But I deserve a coat that’s mine
One made for me – that would be fine
A special coat – the only one
Joshua’s coat – that would be fun.’

So Josh sat down and hatched a plan
To go coat shopping when next he can
‘I’m free most days except Tuesday
Cause that’s the day I like to play

Friday next – well that won’t do
I’m learning how to tie my shoe
The weekend, yes, that seems ideal
To launch my brand new coat appeal

I’ll buy a coat and gloves to match
I’ll look so great; I’ll be a catch
But it takes money to look that cool
And piggy bank does not look full

Five pence, Five pence that makes ten
Ah there’s twenty, that’s thirty then
What’s that shimmer that’s caught my eye?
Two pound coins! Oh, I could cry.

Two pounds thirty will more than do
To make my shopping coat debut
I’ll hit the town like I own the joint
The finest shops my starting point!’

Now the weekend was a while away
And Josh’s mind began to stray
On styles and colours that might suit
(This might save time on the shopping route)

Red perhaps could add some fun
But red this season has been done
Next year’s black is this year’s grey
They said that last year anyway

Stay ahead if you want to wow
But fashion’s circular anyhow
The experts do not seem to know
In which direction they should go

‘I’ll ask my mum, that’s the thing
Winter, Summer Fall or Spring
She always knows what I should wear
To make me look so debonair

Mummy, mummy – what suits me more?
Reds or blues – I must explore
My colour chart because you see
I’ve two pound thirty to spend on me.’

‘And what exactly will you buy
With two pound thirty.’ ‘Why oh Why
A coat, a coat, a coat for me
A brand new coat from a coaterie!

‘Two pounds thirty’s not enough
To buy a coat.’ ‘Well, that’s tough,
It’s all I’ve got to spend on me
For my shopping spending spree’

So Josh and Mum sat down to think
To overcome this money stink
‘Why don’t I help with this endeavour?
And make a coat for any weather’

Joshua squealed with delight
As Mummy then flew out of sight
She soon returned with arms outstretched
As cloths and buttons she had fetched

Reds, blues, pinks did abound
Purples too – to look profound
Yellows shone just like the sun
This coat was not for anyone

Soon the coat was taking shape
No thinking person could escape
The charm, the style, the wit, the flair
Joshua’s coat could not compare

When soon the coat was nearly done
Josh approached the greatest fun
To try it on – walk up and down
To premiere his coloured gown

In went one arm, then the next
This felt great, but then perplexed
‘The sleeves too long I must report
Or is it that my arm’s too short?

Hold on let me check my height
My shoes are covered from my sight
My, oh my, the coat’s too long!
Dear oh, dear. It’s all gone wrong!

Let us stop – to pause and see
This coat is special; we can agree
I wonder if someone I know
Could wear the coat until I grow?

Perhaps my dad? What a perk!
To wear my coat on the train to work
I know the chap, what fun’s in store
For my older brother Oliver!

Yes, Ollie can wear my coat for now
I don’t need it anyhow
Then one day when I’ve grown you see
Joshua’s coat will return to me’

Well Joshua’s coat did Ollie wear
He wore it proud without a care
And the two pound thirty, don’t forget that
Josh will spend on a matching hat!

© Elliot Davis 2004

On the day I turned ten
My father did bring
A gift in a box
A funny old thing
A scarf was inside
And placed in a bag
Of black and white stripes
That did zig and did zag
My dad wrapped it round
My neck and my head
Then told me a story
And here’s what he said
‘What I give you today
Is a special thing, Ben,
T’was given to me
On the day I reached ten
And before I received it
It belonged to my dad
And belonged to his pa
When he was a lad
A thousand years old
Is the scarf that you wear
It’s brought all who wear it
Good luck – so take care.
This scarf once kept warm
King Arthur’s great knights
Sat round the round table
In the cold and in tights
The Sheriff himself
Of Nottinghamshire
Once wore the scarf
Which he did so admire
But Robin the Hood
Feeling very aggrieved
Stole the scarf from the Sheriff
Which the poor then received
And so through the years
Was the scarf handed down
And now it’s with you
This scarf of renown
When your grandfather faced
The enemy’s fire
The fighting did stop
As this scarf they’d admire
‘What a nice scarf!’
The enemy cried,
‘It’s my family scarf!’
Your Granddad replied
A friend of my dads
In a parting embrace
Borrowed the scarf
For a trip into space
And when man first stepped
On the moon so serene
Round the astronauts neck
Was the scarf clearly seen
On the luckiest days
Of my life it’s been worn
And the greatest of all
Was the day you were born
But when I took charge
Of this scarf, held so dear
I pledged to let go
In my firstborn’s tenth year
In our family’s line
It has been till this day,
And it’s now in your keep
And I’m proud – I must say
May the scarf bring you luck
Keep sadness at bay,
Till you pass it on
To your children one day

E Davis 2005

‘Just cant be!
That ev’ry single time
My socks go in the wash
There is a socky crime
The washer seems to steal
A single sock a day
It must be brought to heal
This criminal display’
So Luke sat down to think
‘Bout how to solve this crime
Patience he would need
Detective work takes time
He knew he must dress smart
Detectives must enthral
He’d dress like Sherlock Holmes
The greatest of them all

He launched a frantic search
Under carpet, under mat
And eventually located
His dad’s Deerstalker hat
He placed it on his head
And boy, he looked the type
He felt so bright and clever
All he needed was a pipe
‘Grandpa, can I borrow
Your pipe? I’ll give it back
There’s been an awful crime
A crime that I must crack
I’m on investigation
An all out search for truth
And to aid my operation
I’ve dressed up like a sleuth’
The only thing left missing
The thing that had him beat
Was Holmes’ grand apartment
The flat in Baker Street
This minor thing won’t stop him
He’s made of tougher stock
He’ll penetrate this mystery
The mystery of the sock
Now to start the hunting
Assemble all the facts
Create a mounting pressure
‘Till the perpetrator cracks
To deal with bare essentials
The case as it appears
Is that single socks have disappeared
For years and years and years
Where would Holmes have started?
Luke shouldn’t have to ask it
He’ll start by counting pairs of socks
Placed in the laundry basket
The basket then was emptied
The socks were taken out
The mess looked almost frantic
Like a dirty laundry rout
Of socks he counted twenty
Of pairs that makes it ten
He placed them in the washer
To see what happens then
Well, the soap and water bubbled
And then the washer spun
Soon the door clicked open
Detective work was fun
He took out all the washing
And placed in the dryer
Let the cycle finish
The stakes were getting higher
He then laid out the clothing
(Which of course by now was dry)
And starting pairing pairs up
To see what he could spy
‘Everything’s in order
All present and correct
Hold on, wait a minute
A problem I detect
I spy a single blue sock
Now where could be its pair?
The single sock is missing
This is a sad affair’
You could see the headlines screaming
THE SOCK THIEF STRIKES AGAIN
And as for motivation
No one could yet explain
It was now Luke’s solemn duty
To place heads on the block
Yes, the washer and the dryer
Would be questioned in the dock
It seemed to him apparent
That the thief was either one
They would crack under the pressure
From this they could not run
Now he needed to assemble
The members of the court
He’d call upon his family
To start the legal sport
Luke would prosecute the case
His Dad would be the judge
His mum would mount the sad defence
Through which they now must drudge
‘Order! Order
Silence in the court
This court is now in session
Let’s try to keep this short!
The case that is before us
Is serious indeed
The crown versus appliances
How do defendants plead?’
‘The plea for both not guilty!’
Luke’s mother did reply
‘How very disappointing’
Came the fatherly reply
‘I invite the prosecution
To commence the trial,’ Dad roared
Luke stood up and cleared his throat
‘If it please the court, me Lord.’
‘The case it is compelling
And the thieves are in the dock
It is my main contention
They’ve stolen a blue sock
I wish to call the washing machine
Though the case will soon be shut
Swear upon your instruction book
Tell the truth and nothing but
Now I counted all the socks
Before you took them in
And on finishing your cycle
You performed a grievous sin

How do you respond?
Does the witness now concur?
Your silences are damning
And guilt we must infer
Let the record show
The defendant makes no sound
I’ve no more further questions
As guilt I think we’ve found
Every crime boss has a partner
A dirty hand for hire
I call my final witness
His friend the laundry dryer
Now you say you are not guilty
Yet the sock has not been found
Can you explain the mystery?
Our search has run aground
Another silence greets us
My Lord I think it’s clear
The book should be thrown at them
The punishment severe
I suggest that they
Be taken from this place
And thrown out for the scrap heap
As a sign of their disgrace’
‘Hold on, wait a minute!
The defence demands a halt
A fair trial must be granted
This borders on assault’
‘Very well, my dear
The defence will now be heard
But knowing what I know now
This almost seems absurd’
‘The defence will rest upon one fact
It’s simple I must say’
Luke’s mother then produced a sock
‘I present exhibit A’
‘Objection! Objection!’
‘Objection overruled
Could this be the missing sock?
It looks like we’ve been fooled!’
‘My Lord this is a blue sock
And the court will surely see
It is the perfect missing pair
The defendants must go free!’
A silence now descended
And all did hold their breath
The freedom of the kitchen
Or the scrap heap to face death
‘The defence is strongly proven
The prosecution failed to show
Any evidence of wrongdoing
Defendants are free to go’
Screams of joy erupted
No elation ever higher
Luke’s mother hugged the washing machine
And kissed the tumble dryer
‘Silence! Silence!
Order in the court
There is one other matter
Which will be strongly sought
Two weeks pocket money
Luke will pay as fine
For failing to present his case
And for wasting the courts time
‘I suggest in future cases
To look less like a fool
You water tight the evidence
Clear the court that’s all!’
Luke felt so dejected
His costume had not worked
He had lost his case quite badly
From this, he could not shirk
‘Mum, how did you do it?
You’ve ruined my ambition
‘Luke, just call it what it is
Mothers intuition.’
‘But millions of socks
Have disappeared for years
We could have found a culprit
To alley these socky fears’
‘But in this case, my darling
I never had to worry
I forgot to wash that single sock
And I have to say I’m sorry.’
‘But socks will go on missing
And continue to cause pain
The disappearing single sock
A mystery will remain!’
© E Davis Jan 2005

A week ago last Tuesday
With little else to do
Professor Mary hatched a scheme
To help both me and you
The scheme was pretty simple
The best schemes often are
And once this idea had caught on
She knew it would go far
The scheme concerned a system
To simplify the task
Of recognising someone’s name
Without the need to ask
The boys and men amongst us
Would wear a hat with blue
Whilst girls would have pinkish tint
She’d really thought this through
A coloured shade would be applied
To each and every name
And knowing names just by a hat
Would be the simple aim
Anthea would wear light azure
Andrew aqua marine
Barbara needs a shade of beige
Whilst Grace wears deep sea green
Barry would of course be bisque
For Barry that seems just right
Charlie would be pale cadet
Vanessa viridian light
Simon would be strong cyan
Olive, olive drab
Iris would wear indigo
But lightly, just a dab
Portia would of course wear plum
Denis, dodger blue
Freddy needs a firebrick
To bid us all adieu
Kylie needs a khaki dark
Sienna needs sienna
The deepness of the shade depends
On if she’s using henna
Rebecca rightly wears a rose
Michael has mint cream
Linda must have lavender
To hold her self esteem
Cheryl needs deep chartreuse
Whilst Tom a simple tan
Petra needs papaya whip
A van dyke brown for Van
Torquil would wear turquoise pale
Gary would wear grey
Simone will need a smoky white
To add extra cache
Goldenrod would Gordon wear
Honey, honeydew
Violet takes a violet hat
And Bertie would wear blue
Magenta would Magenta wear
Fuchsia just for Fay
Lauren would take linen white
And java for Jose
So now you see how clever
This hat system can be
That’s why I’m a professor
Professor Mary thought with glee
© Elliot Davis 2005