ESB poetry options, yr 5

[Staycalmandscream]

DD has this soon & a letter was supposed to come home end of last term saying she needed to choose a poem & learn it. However she forgot the letter and the one she chose herself isn't suitable (length & difficulty).

And suggestions? We're short on time now & the ones suggested by school are already being done by loads of kids, plus she has no connection to subject matter.

Animals, gymnastics, seaside, all those topics would have more connection to her interests. Any pointers where to look or suitable poems / authors?

GYMNASTICS a poem: from Gymnaststar
Patience is a mans greatest virtue,
or so the saying goes.
A gymnast must have said it
for a gymnast surely knows,
that in this funny sport of ours,
discouragement runs high
and even the best find
this virtue has passed us by.
When your body is bruised and throbbing,
when muscles are sore,
will a gymnast have patience
to limp in the gym for more?
When you've lost old moves
and progress seems slow,
will you still have faith in better days
and not feel sad and low?
Can you admit your frightened
yet not give in to fear?
Can you conquer fear and frustration
and often even tears?
when someone else does something
you've tried so long to do,
can you still be happy for her
or just self-pity for you?
And when success seems far away
your efforts all in vain,
can you force yourself to wear a smile
and disregard the pain?
And despite the pain and tribulations
you can say " I won't give in"
maybe some day you'll discover
that its now your time to win.

would this do? or is it too long?

whoops i just realised that that is a pretty long poem, maybe you can chop bits out OP?

Thanks sleep
I'm not sure if abridged poems are allowed. I guess this is why most kids choose from the school's handful of options but none of those are really my DD.

roughly how long should it be? x

How about "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth? It's frequently used in ESB exams. A real classic.

I’m a lean dog, a keen dog, a wild dog and lone,
I’m a rough dog, a tough dog, hunting on my own!
I’m a bad dog, a mad dog, teasing silly sheep;
I love to sit and bay the moon and keep fat souls from sleep.

I’ll never be a lap dog, licking dirty feet,
A sleek dog, a meek dog, cringing for my meat.
Not for me the fireside, the well-filled plate,
But shut door and sharp stone and cuff and kick and hate.

Not for me the other dogs, running by my side,
Some have run a short while, but none of them would bide.
O mine is still the lone trail, the hard trail, the best,
Wide wind and wild stars and the hunger of the quest.

Lone Dog
by Irene McLeod

Lots of options here www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/rules/

She's learnt one of school's provided poems without trying, thanks to a significant number of other girls who chose the same poem practising on the playground. So she doesn't want to change now as it'll involve work. The poem is ok but nothing she'd have chosen independently, not about something she is interested in really.
Not in the spirit of it IMO but I'm not going to make her change if she's decided. She can put her focus into her presentation now instead!
Thanks for all suggestions 👍