Our latest crop of Russley Writers took up Paula Green's October Poetry Challenge... to write a poem about a native tree, inspired by Ned Barraud's wonderful book, Rākau.
We were delighted to read this morning, that Paula picked some of our poems to post on the Poetry Box website. In addition, poet Nathaniel will be the lucky recipient of a copy of Ned's book, Rākau! You can read them on Poetry Box at this link, or scroll down to read all seven fabulous poems on our blog.
The life cycle of a kōwhai tree
the morning breeze shakes the kōwhai tree
as zigzagging branches wiri wiri
coin-gold petals droop from sepals
stamen sick out like porcupine's quills
crinkly brown seed pods hang down
spreading seeds through the soil
another kōwhai tree grows
and starts again
By Nathaniel Wade, Year 6
Gleaming Kōwhai Family
bumby rumpy textured bark
branches reach to the sun
busy buzzing bumble bee
collects nectar with glee
tūī sings its songs of joy while
snuggling with her speckled eggs
drooping flowers, golden
like the coins you hold so dear
careful wind sweeps seeds
across the grassy floor
at night,
the moon shines
ruru passes
hunting for mice
glimmering raindrops
fall from the sky
then, the crash of
lightning
the kōwhai has stood
through every single day
the tree grows tall
making homes for bugs and birds
a hazel-haired girl stands
there looking at the tree
that girl is me,
the kōwhai is like family.
by Libby Greenall, age 10, year 5
My Kōwhai Tree
You are the seeds that jitter across the forest floor
like little dancers in the breeze
You are seed pods swinging like poi
slowly swaying to an invisible beat
You are the poi tassel leaves
pale and soft in clumped leaflets
You are the petals in small clumps
of golden coins hanging downwards
You are the gnarled branches reaching up
towards the sun, swishing happily
You are the rough bark that crumbles
to pieces in the wind
You are the feather cloak of fallen flowers
coating the grassy ground
You are my kōwhai tree
Isabelle Holmes, Year 6
New Zealand Beauty
tiny yellow tears scatter in the wind
knobbly seed pods gather on the ground below
little leaflets drift in the gentle breeze
every petal gleams like treasure in the sun
each sunny flower is like a pixie’s flowing skirt
spindly branches sway like dancers to a silent rhythm
long arms stretch, reaching for the clouds
rough brown bark home to moss and lichen
silky golden cloak envelops deep brown trunk
firm roots burrow deep into damp earth
creating hidden tunnels
lemon coloured tree stands out against cerulean sky
this is my kōwhai
Katherine Lord, Year 5
The Bright Kōwhai Tree
the kōwhai tree sways like
a boat in the sapphire sea
silky leaves wiggle
through the wind
prickly brown seedpods dance
through the sunlight
swaying like ballerinas
yellow flowers shine
like the ginormous sun
zig-zag branches perform tricks
like artistic sky-swimmers
Nico Meek, Year 5
Dancing Kōwhai Tree
crumpled tree skin like nana’s arms
bumpy branches twist like rattle snakes
silky smooth petals sway back and forth
crinkly brown seedpods twitch
like dancing peanuts
they dangle and fall to the ground
like rain drops
Evie Planicka, Year 5
The Sunny Sight of the Kōwhai Tree
sunny smooth yellow flowers
bright like shiny bow ties
tentacle-like stamen sway about
like swing chairs at the carnival
in the wind, seedpods judder
like washing machines
bumpy brown branches
zigzagging in the breeze
hard yellow seeds
tucked safely in their cosy pods
bright green-as tiny leaflets
holding on tight like caterpillars
the kōwhai tree is as gold as
the sun, it reaches up to the sky
greeting the warm
morning
Theo Planicka, Year 5
