KS3 Animal Poetry
In recent creative club sessions, we’ve been writing animal poems. The students have enjoyed imagining themselves as different animals.
I feel the fox’s silky fur comforting me with a sensational warmth
Ears cocked up, ready for a footstep, or crunch, or snarl
A nearly silent paw — tapping of a dog, I feel the ear go straight up
I feel my bouncy paws spring me off the Autumn leaves
I reveal my dagger — sharp teeth as my mouth opened wide
I see the fearless dog’s face growl, but nonetheless I pounce
The hatred of a thousand wars, the piercing pain of a million knives
I run off, wounded, into the perils of London
The search of a lifetime
Tommy Horn
What animal shall I be today? Today I will be a dog,
Alone in my carefree world when they go away.
Not a worry in the world as I scatter across the floor.
Curling by chair leg to chair leg,
Catching up on sleep.
In my dreams I count the bones,
As they fly around my head,
In all shapes and sizes.
Then I notice something,
In the back of my eyes.
A black blurry puddle of fur,
Chasing me around.
How rude I think,
So I chase it back.
But it is stern and does not retreat.
Finally a worthful opponent.
What an amazing world it is,
When you’re a dog.
Katherine Adcock
Which creature shall I be?
An orca I shall be!
To witness the two-leg’s fear,
To flip and dive in a universe of blue.
Singing a tune, to their deadly dance,
Their family of friends, needing to be seen
They’re prey no one can hunt,
Their songs a lovely terror.
You hear the sirens call
That drags you to their home
They are mighty, proud and free
But are mistaken as, weak
Be able to fly in sea,
A forever galaxy,
To bully the bad,
To harm the harmful.
The feeling of fun,
That is who I want to be.
Juliette Williams
Which creature would you be?
Today I’d be a crocodile,
With gaping jaws,
And a taste for meat,
See the ecosystem from the eyes of a crocodile,
To see the little bird as food,
And to hide away from the eyes of the forest.
To see humans when they don’t see you,
To have scaly skin like a rough tree,
To submerge yourself in cool, murky water.
At every breath I think of food,
To be big and feared,
Is a burden.
To understand the wonders of the forest,
I look
And don’t forget.
Lara South
Which creature would you be?
Today I’d choose an arctic fox.
I’d dig through the fluffy beds of pure snow
And feast on terrified birds and helpless squirrels,
I’d prowl through the snowy arctic
Amy Cheng
Which animal shall I be today? Today I will be a rabbit,
I bound over fields,
My heart beating so fast it is almost a solid beat,
I hear a crunch from behind me,
My eyes not betraying me show me that there is a wisp of orange fur,
I speed up, jumping, bounding, racing, faster than ever before,
Through stiles, past lakes, in and out of fields of corn,
A maze to me whose head could only see blurred colours,
I finally reach the exposed land just before my burrow and don’t even look around,
I get adrenalin rush through my bones and I continue,
Diving into my safe place and down and down and down,
The panic subsides and I take a few deep breathes,
Finally feeling safe.
Charlotte Fidler
What animal shall I be today?
Perhaps a carefree seagull,
Flying free through open sapphire sky
Sunshine and rain, flights never dull.
What animal shall I be today?
Maybe a lion gold
Amber eyes bright as day
Mane fierce and red and bold
What animal shall I be today?
A fish with scales of moonlight
An endless coral forest to explore
Blue with silver dapples so slight
What animal shall I be today?
An owl with feathers of tawny brown
Sinking into slumber during dawn
Rising when the sun goes down
What animal shall I be today?
So many choices, so little time
So many days I’ve shifted shape
But today, my true form will be simply sublime!
Ellis Appiagyei
I’d be a frog,
Leaping from lily pad to lily pad.
Diving deep into ponds,
Catching flys and bugs.
Drifting through the water, hiding in the reeds.
I’d be able to climb walls like a spy,
Camouflage like a chameleon,
Today I’d choose to be a frog.
Sophie MacQuarrie
