Mary Green

I've a picture of Pluto,
             My white spacesuit,
                         My robot Charlie,
                               My red moon-boots,
                                           All hidden tight,
                                                  In my secret lair,
My spaceship under the stairs.

Not even Mum,
       Nor my sister Sal,
                 Not even Dad,
                       Nor my brother Cal,
                                Can come with me,
                                          To my secret lair,
My spaceship under the stairs.

I can jet to the moon,
                 Or fly to Mars,
                      Take my shuttle,
                           Or my solar car,
                                Shout, 'We have lift-off!'
                                               On a faraway star,
In my spaceship under the stairs.

I can catch a comet,
            Or a meteorite,
              Zoom round and round,
                                     A satellite,
                                        Do what I want,
                                             Whenever I like,
In my spaceship under the stairs.

It's my special place,
          When I creep inside,
                     To play or think,
                           To dream or hide,
                                  Or just to be there,
                                           With my old cloth bear,
In my spaceship under the stairs.


First published in "Space Poems" chosen by Gaby Morgan, Macmillan.

Hobgoblins and spellbinders,
Angels in rags,
Liar or truthteller,
Lacewitch or hag.
Over the gristle bones
Warlocks fights,
Earwigs are flying with
Elfin and sprite.
Now keep me safe this Halloween night!


First published in "Ye New Spell Book" compiled by Brian Moses, Macmillan.

march ringing ting-a-linging
bird winging green swinging

spring singing

sun daisy corn hazy
cloud gazey june lazy

summer crazy

leaf turning summer yearning
ghost twirling red curling

autumn swirling

snowy ruffle icy bluffle
cold snuffle warm duffle

winter muffle


First Published in Poetry Works and Poster Pack, Folens

Add two times twenty-two,
To twelve and twenty more,
Take forty-five from fifty-five,
Add four by forty-four.

Add six and six to sixteen,
To eighteen by eleven,
To nine and nine and ninety-nine,
Add nine from ninety-seven.

Add thirty-three and thirteen,
Take seven from twenty-four,
Add seventy-seven to sixty-six,
And total up your score.

You can count them on your fingers,
You can count them on your toes,
You can count them out with counters,
You can count them out in rows.

And when you’ve got the answer,
When you’re sure, and only then –
You can add another hundred
And count them all again!


First published in "The Works 2" selected by Brian Moses and Pie Corbett, Macmillan (2002).

I am in speak but not in tell,
I am in whisper but not in yell,
I am in peel but not in bell,
And you’ll find me in spin as well as spell.

I am in loyal but not in true,
I am in gold but not in blue,
I am in hold but not in glue,
I am in know but not in knew.

I am in haste but not in soon,
I am in space but not in room,
I am in shine but not in moon,
I am in flower but not in bloom.

My last is in mighty but not yet great,
You’ll find me in Molly but not in Kate,
I’m never in yak and never in you,
But always in rhyme and poem too.


A version of this was first published in "The Universal Vacuum Cleaner and Other Riddle Poems" compiled by John Foster, Illustrated by Tony Ross, Oxford University Press (2005)