Transcript

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Let's have some fun 

with things that rhyme

welcome Kids 

it's poetry time!

Hip Hip Hurray!

Welcome everyone to Kids’ Poetry Club with me, Little Dazzy Donuts. I’m sitting here at the Club, enjoying a nice cup of tea, and reading through some of the entries for the Summer competition on the topic of home. We’re now at the end of the submission period, and so we’re starting the hard job of figuring out who the Finalists will be from the hundreds of entries that have come in from around the World. In looking through the poems, I’ve found a few that I’d like to play for Queenie and Chicken once they arrive. They said that they’d be popping around to pick up some furniture that was delivered today for Chicken’s house. It’s waiting for them in boxes over by the far wall. Oh, I think I hear them coming now.

SOUND (Door)

Hi Queenie … Hi Chicken … welcome back

Queenie: Hi Little Dazzy Donuts.

SOUND (Chicken).

Queenie: We’re so excited today as Chicken’s furniture is being delivered. We’ve ordered a wardrobe for her bedroom, and a desk for her office. They’ll definitely spruce up Chicken’s home!  

Oh, yes … it was delivered about an hour ago. It’s in those boxes over there.

Queenie: Ummm … those boxes over by the wall?

Yes – that’s them.

Queenie: Are you sure? Well, that’s not at all what we were expecting. Look at these, Chicken. They don’t look anything like they did online when we ordered them. Ummm … how can this be a wardrobe? If it is, it’s the world’s thinnest one ever.

Well, I think you’ll find that the furniture has to be to assembled from all of the parts that are inside of the boxes.

Queenie: So, we make our own furniture? Gosh, that sounds exciting! I’ve never made furniture before. It sounds a lot like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Okay then, Chicken, let’s open up these boxes and see what we have inside.

SOUND (box opening)

Queenie: This one here is the wardrobe. Oh my … look at all of these parts. There are screws, bolts, nuts, big pieces of wood, small pieces of wood, handles … there must be over a hundred different items inside this box. How will we ever know how to put them all together.

SOUND (Chicken)

Queenie: Oh, you’re right, Chicken – there’s an instruction pamphlet. Let’s take a look at it … well, it looks easy enough – it just has two steps. Oh, hang on … that’s just on page 1 … there are more pages here … there’s page 2 … 3 … 4 …. 5 … 6 … 7 …  ….  ….. …. Oh my gosh … There are 10 pages of instructions. The final page says, Step 40, and has a picture of a completed wardrobe. Forty steps! Who knew that building furniture would be this complicated?

I think that a good place to start would be to get everything out of the box, and line it all up on the floor so you can make sure that you have everything you need. You don’t want to start only to find that the box is missing some parts.

Queenie: Oh, there’s the voice of experience, Little Dazzy Donuts. Okay then … here goes … let’s line everything up over here, and compare the pile against what the instructions says we should have. Chicken, why don’t I do it for the wardrobe … and you do it for the desk. We can built them side by side before carrying them around to your home.

SOUND (Chicken).

It looks like this is going to take you a while … so why don’t I put the kettle on to make you some tea, and then play you a few poems. You’ll enjoy the ones I’ve found … and it will help the time pass while you build your furniture.

Queenie: That sounds a great idea! Now … are these here Screw A or Screw B … I’m supposed to have 10 of Screw A and 5 of Screw B … gosh, they all look the same. Surely a screw is a screw is a screw.

Okay then, while you work out the differences between all of the screws, how about I play you the first poem? It comes from Aadrita in the United States, and is called Habitation.  Here, let me play the poem for you now.

Aadrita: Cozy and snug, Where you had your first hug, Your mom and dad gave your first kiss, full of items to make you smile. All there with a divine style, I think it’s time to spill the tea. Full of memories to cherish, Along the shores of Kern River. The love it gives is more than ever. It’s the one and only place under the sun. The walls of a home, Will remain cold until occupied by young and old. With a beautiful family and a lovely home, You truly have struck gold. That is our base where we begin and end each day. It is our triumph and glory that these walls tell the stories.

A big THANK YOU to Aadrita for the wonderful poem. I really like how your poem emphasizes that it’s the people that turn a building into a home and that, within that home, so many cherished memories are created that you then carry with you througout your life. Thank you so much, Aadrita, for writing and recording your poem.

Our next poem comes from David in Australia. He’s written and recorded a poem called “Home Sweet Home”.

David: My house welcomes me as I open the door. In front of me is a long narrow hall. Every room calls out my name. Wishing that I keep them company again. Lights that flicker and marks on the wall. The result of me kicking my soccer ball. The table is covered with mountains of books. There are stacks of jackets on the coat hooks. Muddy holes in the garden that my dog did. Furniture with scribbles I did as a kid. The little creaks my house makes at night. That used to give me a TERRIBLE FRIGHT. Shelves of toys my mum will never throw away. Books from my childhood that are here to stay. Memories are scattered across the wall. My bedroom has a squeaky door. But no matter what my house is like, there’s one thing for sure. HOME SWEET HOME and I wouldn’t ask for anything more.

A big THANK YOU, David, for sending us your poem. I really like how you’ve given us a picture of your home – not just what it’s inside of it, but some of the sounds, and what it feels like. Your home sounds wonderful – and I love how you’ve summed it up as Home Sweet Home! It definitely sounds like it is.

So, Queenie … how’s it going with your wardrobe?

Queenie: Okay, I think. I’m on step 2. It says to put Screw A into hole C, and then to tighten with this little bar thingy that doesn’t seem to have a name or a letter. Then, I’m supposed to put one of the four pieces of Wood D into the slots at E and F. There are just so many pieces, and so many letters. It’s like playing a game of Scrabble. I have an A, a C, a D, and E, and an F. It may actually be easier to make a word with them than it is to make this wardrobe. Ummm … I wonder why the mirror is now going to be on the inside of the wardrobe – that doesn’t seem right. Oh well, let’s push on with more poems.

Okay then, the next poem comes from Diya in India with the poem Birds At Dawn. Here, let me play the poem for you now.

Diya: An oranged window sill, pluviophile with a coffee. Vacant, dewy terrace. A pearl illuminating the firmament. Adorned with a proper noun. Blood and sinews, Instead of bricks and mortar. Red, soft lips to climb. Under the common blue ceiling, Above the same green carpet, The same chirping siblings.Is home. My home.

A big THANK YOU to Diya for your poem. I love the image that you paint – the idea of a common blue ceiling, and the same green carpet … oh, and the chirping siblings. That sounds like a home to me. Thank you for writing and recording your poem so nicely.

Queenie: Oh, I do like that poem, Little Dazzy Donuts! … and I’d love to hear more, but could you hold fire a mo? I just need to hammer this piece of wood into a slot.

SOUND (Hammer)

Queenie: Wow! That was super tight … but I’ve got it in there now … just about. You know, I’m surprised that the slot wasn’t the right size for the wood.

You know, Queenie, I don’t recall seeing the instructions saying anything about needing a hammer.

Queenie: Me neither … but it was the only way of getting piece M into slot J.

Let me take a look. Ah yes … I see now. That piece you just hammered into the slot … well, that’s not an M stamped on it … it’s a W. I think you were holding it upside down.

Queenie: Oh silly me. Well, it’s in there now … and I don’t see any way that we’re getting it out of there, and so I suppose it will all turn out okay providing every piece goes somewhere. I now just need to figure out where W was supposed to go, and to put M in there instead. I’m confident that this will all work out in the end. So, let’s listen to more poetry.

In that case, next, we have a poem from Kieran in England with the poem My Amazing Brain. Here, let me play the poem for you now.

Kieran: I have Autism, it is not a disease and you cannot catch it so why do you look at me that way? I miss my Chess Club, it is my life but it is closed now, this pandemic has broken me by taking it away! I hate this stupid lockdown, I miss the library, I feel so at home there surrounded by the comfort of books. My brain needs to he learning, why can't people just let me get on with it? I feel so calm when I am learning it just all makes sense unlike all of the chaos outside and all of those looks. I get irritated by other people, with their silly voices and their germs, they stand so close with their hot breath, it's discussting why are humans so gross out there? All that hotness in the shops and those annoying people making so much noise, it hurts my ears and my head, stressing me out, then people start to stare. Why can't I just be left alone, in the peaceful science lab under my bed? Alone with my experiments, lost in a world of scientific possibilities. Why can't people learn from this pandemic and be more like nature, so calm, without being nasty, without angry noisy shoppers, without bullies! I have Autism it is not a disease and you cannot catch it so why do people look at me that way!

A big THANK YOU to Kieran for the wonderful poem. I learned a lot from how you described your world, and especially the significant impact that COVID has had on you. Poetry can be a powerful way of communicating experiences, and helping others to see the world differently … and your opening and closing lines demonstrate that power beautifully. Thank you so much for writing and recording your poem for us.

So, Queenie … how’s it going with your wardrobe?

Queenie: Well, I made it to step 15 … look …. It’s taking shape now. I’m not totally sure that it’s taking the shape of a wardrobe, but it’s at least taking “a shape” now. Chicken, how’s it going with the desk?

SOUND (Chicken)

Queenie: Oh my … you’re almost done … and it’s looking exactly like it did when we saw it online. That’s going to be amazing in your study. I can totally picture you sitting at the desk to write in your diary each evening. Now, if only I can get this wardrobe to look as good as your desk. I think my main worry is that back at step 10, I was supposed to attach this piece of wood with these four bolts … but I forgot. I’m not sure that I can undo all of the work since then … and so I’m hoping that it doesn’t matter too much. After all, if there are 100 pieces to put together, and I miss 5 of them, then the vast majority of the pieces are still being used. Surely, just 5 pieces can’t make that much of a difference. Okay, well, I’ll push on. Can you play more poems for us please, Little Dazzy Donuts?

I definitely can, Queenie. Let me play you this poem next – it comes from Suhani in India and is called “My Home”. I’ll press play now.

Suhani: The walls can hear me. The paint on it fills my life. The white clean floor is all mine, And the decorated table at night to dine, The sofas where I welcome and pray, For the people who are going through a bad phase. The curtains smile and leads my way, To another corner of my house where I stay. The bed where I dream and my table where my favourite books lay. The windows that help me see, The men working and birds flying free. The other rooms where my closet people spend their time. We all enjoy, play and sleep before nine. This little place has all the best I need: My people, my plants and my mind so free. A place of peace and positivity, Where together we fight adversity.

A big THANK YOU, Suhani, for your lovely poem. I really like how look at each of the parts of your house, and see how each one offers you something important … and they all add up to create a place of peace and positivity for you and your family. Thank you so much for recording your poem for us.

Now, sadly, we’ve reached our final poem … and it comes from Steren in England. Her poem is called “My Home Poem”. I’ll play it for you now.

Steren: I can smell the warm bubbling gravy, sitting in the boat, the warm mulled wine candle, flickering quietly on the burning fireplace. I can see my family snuggled, up on the sofa watching a movie, decorations sprawled out all over the pine covered dresser. I can taste the gooey left over, Yorkshire pudding as it brings a smile to my face. I can hear wrapping paper ripping, and screams of joy. My mum yelling at the dogs who are eating, our chocolate. I can feel the prickly tree spines, prickling me as I walk past. Soft cosy blanket, wrapped round my shoulders. I love my home the smell the feel and most of all, the people.

A big THANK YOU Steren for your Home poem. You’ve done such a wonderful job of describing your home – so much so, that I can feel what it would be like to be in there myself … and I definitely would want one of those Yorkshire Puddings. Your home sounds really lovely. Thank you so much for your poem and recording.

Well, it looks like you’ve finished, Queenie.

Queenie: I have. Now, I’ll be the first admit that what I’ve created doesn’t exactly match what we were all expecting.

You’re right, there. We were all expecting a wardrobe.

Queenie: Yes … and what I’ve created here looks more like two side tables and a piece of abstract art crafted from some leftover pieces of wood and a few screws. But think of it this way … I was given all of the parts for just one piece of furniture, and almost by magic, I’ve created three pieces. You know, it would be quite boring if we all just did exactly what was on the instructions – sometimes amazing things happen as a result of just putting the instructions off to one side.

You’re definitely a creative furniture assembler, Queenie – I’ll grant you that. Okay, so I’ll give you both a hand to carry these around to Chicken’s. Before I do, why don’t I thank everyone for joining us for the episode, and also thank our poets today: Aadrita, David, Diya, Kieran, Suhani, and Steren.  Also, I can remind you that we’ll be announcing the competition finalists by August 6th – just check out our website to see them all. Then, on August 10th, we’ll announce the winners in a very special awards ceremony episode. Of course, we’re also back with a normal episode on Monday, with a brand new topic, and new poems.

Okay then, Queenie …. Let’s carry this furniture through to Chicken’s house …. Now, you did check that Chicken’s door is big enough for us to get this desk through, didn’t you?

Queenie: Ummm …. I didn’t … but that is such an amazing idea. I really wish we’d thought of that earlier. So, Chicken, how do you like the idea of us putting the desk on your outdoor deck? It would be a great spot to look at your garden while you write in your diary.

SOUND (Chicken)

Queenie: Okay … so that’s a non-starter. Don’t worry … I’ll think of something. For example … and I’m just suggesting an option here …. Running it up the flagpole to see if anyone salutes it … we could always grease the desk and try squeezing it through the doorway … and, if you don’t like that gem of an idea, there are plenty more where that one came from!

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