Child Poems | Poemist

Popular Child Poems

American Primitive

by William Jay Smith

Look at him there in his stovepipe hat,
His high-top shoes, and his handsome collar;
Only my Daddy could look like that,
And I love my Daddy like he loves his Dollar.

The screen door bangs, and it sounds so funny--
There he is in a shower of gold;
His pockets are stuffed with folding money,
His lips are blue, and his hands feel cold.

......

Duino Elegies: The First Elegy

by Rainer Maria Rilke

Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the angels'
hierarchies? and even if one of them suddenly
pressed me against his heart, I would perish
in the embrace of his stronger existence.
For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror
which we are barely able to endure and are awed
because it serenely disdains to annihilate us.
Each single angel is terrifying.
And so I force myself, swallow and hold back
the surging call of my dark sobbing.

......

The Slave Dealer

by Thomas Pringle

From ocean's wave a Wanderer came,
With visage tanned and dun:
His Mother, when he told his name,
Scarce knew her long-lost son;
So altered was his face and frame
By the ill course he had run.

There was hot fever in his blood,
And dark thoughts in his brain;
And oh! to turn his heart to good

......

The Indian Burying Ground

by Philip Freneau

In spite of all the learn'd have said;
I still my old opinion keep,
The posture, that we give the dead,
Points out the soul's eternal sleep.

Not so the ancients of these lands --
The Indian, when from life releas'd
Again is seated with his friends,
And shares gain the joyous feast.

......

Am I My Sister's Keeper?

by Ruthe Spacht

I had better be.
What benefits my mother, niece,
Daughter and the neighbor lady
Will also benefit me.
Her working conditions,
How much she earns,
Her crisis, her problems,
Are all my concerns.
Her children are my children,
Her yearnings are mine.

......

Recent Child Poems

Far Rockaway

by Evelyn Judy Buehler

Though little Suzie was wild about horses, she was too young to ride,
At just five golden years old. Like summer faded, where nature sighed.

Playful Suzie longed to visit Banbury Cross, a place she had not been.
Her older siblings told exciting tales of it, like spring, alive with green!

For Little Suzie's birthday, her parents had given her a rocking horse;
And it was a prized possession, which she played with daily, of course.

As today came closer to someday, she'd visit countless places far away.

......

Barefoot On The Edge Of Innocence

by Everleigh Blackburn

barefoot on the edge of innocence,
laughter spilling like petals
in a summer breeze.

eyes glinting with mischief,
a wildflower in a garden of rules,
her spirit ignites whispers—
soft shadows of temptation
wrapped in the silk of youth.

......

Rhythm : A last few moments

by Zee K

I dreamt about beeping lines
Slowly and steadily rising
Their sudden downfall scares me
As I just heard a story

A tale of two heartbeats
One Raising inside her womb
Basking in her warmth
Nourishing themself for a long period

......

Poems for Palestinian Children

by Michael R. Burch

These are poems about Palestinian children and their mothers...

Epitaph for a Palestinian Child
by Michael R. Burch

I lived as best I could, and then I died.
Be careful where you step: the grave is wide.

......

Hope of a Child

by Kailey Norris

The mindset of hope and of a child are much alike,
as if true serenity and innocence are connected.
The comfort of a child in their mother's arms is what we long for inside ourselves,
a sense of safety and peace within our own body.

Treat every moment like you are still a child,
Cherish the most insignificant things in life.
Put that shiny rock in your pocket, it may be gold!
With thought, the smallest thing can bring peace and understanding to a life.
Every tiny aspect of nature is a beauty.

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