Poetry for Kids

I wrote this poem because Valentine’s Day was coming up, and I wanted a silly love poem that felt a little different from the usual ones. I played around with a few ideas first—like a teacher being in love with homework and quizzes, or my cat falling in love with my dog—but none of them quite clicked. Then I started thinking about how some people, especially teenagers, spend a lot of time checking their reflection, and it made me laugh to imagine what that might look like from a sibling’s point of view. Once I had that idea, the poem pretty much wrote itself. I hope you enjoy it. This is…

My Brother’s in Love with His Mirror

My brother is falling in love with his mirror.

At first, I had doubts. Now, it couldn’t be clearer.

He spent today gazing upon his reflection

while whispering words of romantic affection.

He straightened his hair and put on his best shirt,

then said, “Hey, good lookin’,” like some kind of flirt.

He waved at himself as he batted his eyes

then tilted his head and let out a few sighs.

My brother’s behavior is honestly odd.

He smiled at himself with a wink and a nod,

then blew a few kisses and started to blush.

The mirror is clearly my brother’s new crush.

I didn’t know why he was acting this way

when I saw him eyeing his mirror today.

I figured it out, though—it wasn’t that hard—

when I saw him give it a Valentine’s card.

— Kenn Nesbitt

I’ve always loved wordplay, especially poems that play around with the nuts and bolts of language, things like spelling, word order, and the way words look and sound on the page. Over the years, I’ve written poems that make silly use of parentheses, hyphens, and even the spacing between words, just to see what kind of mischief I could get into.

While I was thinking about other punctuation marks I might work into a poem someday—commas, question marks, slashes, brackets, and so on—it suddenly occurred to me that I’d somehow skipped the most obvious one of all. Exclamation points! They’re loud, they’re enthusiastic, and they have a way of making everything feel more exciting… sometimes a little too exciting.

This poem imagines what might happen if someone got just a bit carried away with exclamation points. And fair warning—this is one of those poems that really needs to be seen on the page to make sense, since the punctuation is doing most of the heavy lifting. So if it sounds a little strange out loud, that’s on me! You can read the poem exactly as it was meant to be seen online at Poetry4kids.

I’m Thrilled with Exclamation Points!

I’m thrilled with exclamation points!

I like them so, so much!

It’s awesome how they give my words

that extra special touch!!

Without some exclamation points

my words seem dull and dry.

But add a few!! Now, suddenly,

the writing starts to fly!!!!!

I wonder if it’s possible

to use them even more!!

like! every! word! could! end! with! one!

or! two!! or! three!!! or! four!!!!

Oh!! yes!!! it’s!! so!!! enjoyable!!!!

Instead!! of!! now!! and!!! then!!

I’ll!! add!!! a! few!!!! to!! every! word!!,

like! eight!!!!!!!! or! nine!!!!!!!!! or! ten!!!!!!!!!!

I’d!!! stay!!!! and!!!! tell!!! you!!! more!!!, except!!

I!!!!! have!! to!! leave!!! this!!!! joint!!!!

Besides!!!, I!!! think! it’s!!!! safe!! to!!!!! say!!

by!!! now!!!! you’ve!!!! got!!! my!!!! point!!!!

— Kenn Nesbitt

Before I decide what to wear, I often check the weather on my phone. How cold is it outside? Is it going to rain? Will it warm up later in the day? My wife thinks this is a little ridiculous and says I should just look out the window. Or better yet, step outside and see how it feels. But I like knowing what’s coming. A weather app can tell you if you’re going to need a coat, a hat, or an umbrella later on, even if things look fine right now.

One day, while I was thinking about checking the weather online, a funny idea popped into my head, an idea that felt like it belonged at the end of a poem. As often happens for me, I wrote that ending first and then worked backward, figuring out what kind of poem would lead naturally to it.

This poem grew out of that process, mixing everyday habits with a little imagination and wordplay. I hope it makes you smile, and maybe even think twice about how you decide what the weather’s like before you head outside. This is…

Warm or Storm?

I think I’ll stay inside today.

In here, it’s nice and warm.

Outside, I’m told it’s frozen.

There’s a frigid winter storm.

I heard that there’s a blizzard

with a ton of ice and snow.

Thermometers are saying that

it’s twenty-five below.

That’s way too cold to snowboard,

or to ski, or skate, or sled.

The news said, “Stay inside today

and bundle up in bed.”

I could have gone outside to see

how chilly it would get.

But I just looked online

and read it on the Winternet.

— Kenn Nesbitt

I love cheese, pretty much all kinds of it. A few months ago, I even decided to try making my own cheese for the very first time. I started with cottage cheese, which seemed like a sensible beginner’s choice. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out quite as well as I’d hoped. Still, I really enjoyed the process, and I’m planning to give cheesemaking another try soon.

Today, while I was eating a slice of Swiss cheese and thinking about that not-so-successful experiment, my mind started wandering. I began imagining a cheesemaker who’s a very choosy about his ingredients, and before long, the idea for this poem popped into my head.

Sometimes all it takes is one small thought, and one very silly pun, to turn into a poem. That’s exactly what happened here. This is…

A Cheesy Story

I’m Cheesemaker Charlie.

I like to make cheese.

I’m fond of ricottas,

and cheddars, and bries.

Each cheese I prepare

needs its own kind of milk,

to make sure it’s creamy

and smoother than silk.

For string cheese, to help it

stay slender and slim,

I only use milk that’s been

labeled as “skim.”

I try to ensure that

my jack cheese is jacked.

I help it stay shredded

with “low fat,” in fact.

And when I make Swiss cheese,

perfection’s my goal.

So, that’s why I only

use milk labeled “hole.”

— Kenn Nesbitt

I’ve always loved performing. When I was a kid, I once put on a magic show for my family when I was seven years old. I even rented a cape and a top hat for the occasion. Unfortunately, the show didn’t go very well. Everyone kept shouting out how the tricks were done, which made it hard to feel very mysterious.

Still, that love of performing stuck with me. One of the reasons I fell in love with poetry in the first place was because my father used to sing silly songs and recite nonsense poems at home. Watching him perform made me realize how much fun words can be when you say them out loud.

Because of that, I love writing poems about performing, whether it’s singing, karaoke, student talent shows, or just putting on a show for anyone who happens to be nearby. That idea is what inspired this poem. I hope it makes you smile. This is…

Toothbrush Karaoke

While brushing my teeth after breakfast today,

I looked at my toothbrush and, what can I say?

It looked like a microphone there in my hand.

I thought of a song from my new favorite band.

I strolled to the living room singing that song.

My brother, surprised, started clapping along.

My sister stood up and applauded my tune.

She begged me to keep singing all afternoon.

I ran to my room where I sang to my frog.

My singing and dancing delighted our dog.

I chanted and rapped as I ran down the hall,

to croon to the mirror we had on the wall.

And that’s when my mom and dad walked in the door,

complaining of slobber all over the floor.

They said my performance was totally cool,

except for the minty-fresh puddles of drool.

— Kenn Nesbitt