My sister

My sister had a diet,
I gave her a chocolate bite,
She started a fight,
She slept at night,
We flew a kite,
At a great height,
She held the rope tight,
But the kite went straight and cut right,
She was sad and hugged me tight,
I went white and didn’t speak till night.

Midhat Karim

Caterpillar

Caterpillar, caterpillar,
Eating a tiny leaf,
Saying, ‘Life is very brief.’
Then I noticed day-by-day,
It disappeared and left the bay.
I saw a little cocoon hanging on a tree,
Beside its friend’s house, Mr Wheatherbee.
Afterwards a butterfly came out flying high,
I gave a sigh and said goodbye!

Ifrah Ilyas,
10 years, Karachi

Where is the hamster?

It’s not in the cookie jar, not under the TV,
It is not in my baseball glove,
Oh! Where could that hamster be?
Is it behind the cushions, or buried in the snow?
Is it in the tissue box?
Oh! Where did that hamster go?
Where did the hamster go?
That’s what I’d like to know!
Is it eating pizza pies because his tummy growled?
Or is it lost in a lake because it tumbled?
I hope it’ll come back soon as I am really sorry.
Oh! Where did that hamster go?

Dania Khan,
8 years

My friend

A person to hold you really close,
To cheer you up when you’re down,
Her stupid jokes will wear you out,
You think she’s annoying,
But this makes you love her even more,
She sets your brain on fire,
Whose sweetness will never go sour,
Who will hug you all day,
Who will make your bitterness go away,
Who will eat your lunch,
But say, ‘I didn’t!’,
Who will put you out of crunch,
And will put me in so much trouble,
And then say happily, ‘You are free!’,
Who will comb her hair in a funny way,
Her one smile will make your day,
I have a friend just like her,
Her name is Amena,
She loves me and I love her!

Maryam Nusrat Javed,
12 years, Lahore

My best friend

When I feel sad and lonely,
I miss my best friend a lot,
I thank God for such a nice friend,
Such a kind and sincere friend I’ve got.
She cheers me up when I am sad,
At me, she’s never ever mad.
When I need a shoulder to cry on,
She’s the one who gives it to me,
When I am in great trouble,
She’s the one, who helps me.
I can’t thank her in words,
For everything she gave to me,
All I want to say is that,
I love her and she too loves me!

Zoha Mohsin,
11 years, Karachi

My special friend

There is a special friend of mine,
Who can’t see but tells me,
About the adventures,
Of funny and friendly characters!
Who could it be, who could it be?
It is sometimes adventurous,
And sometimes informative,
Oh, who could it be?
Tell me, tell me please!
Yes, you got it right,
My special friend is my book,
That I read at night!

Noor-ul-Amin,
10 years, Rawalpindi

Courage

Courage is the first step of success,
And it gives you grace,
I have seen many successful men,
Through courage who gained,
Good positions and touched the sky,
And now they stand very high,
They reached the stars,
And now they are far,
To reach them is difficult,
We need courage to meet the stars,
And one day we will be what they are!

Khola Akhtar

Different

In all different times,
At all different places,
People ate different food,
People wore different glasses,
Styled in different ways,
Everybody played different games,
Such as scrabble and maze.
Everybody had different bedrooms,
With different lamps,
Some went to hotels,
And some went to camps.

Dania Khan,
8 years

My best friend

Hamza is my best friend,
I wish our friendship would never end,
He is 11 years old,
He works as he is told,
He is nice and tall,
He likes to play football,
His favourite dish is rice,
He likes it with too much spice.

Ali Hassan Khan,
10 years, Daharki

Exams

Exams are here,
I’m shivering with fear,
Because my mum is yelling,
My dad is telling,
Just to revise,
And memorise,
It feels like I am in hell,
Please pray that my exams go well!

Zoha Iqbal
Via email

Mother

The incredible personality,
Whose love is as deep as ocean,
She can’t see her child,
In any commotion.
She’s like a shawl,
Which gives you in cold,
A sense of relief,
When you’re in grief.
She’s like a spark in the dark,
Like a moon or twinkling star,
She’s like a tree in a storm,
Which gives you shelter,
But let her be torn.
A mother is like dawn,
After a dark day,
A glorious morn.
A mother is a gift from Lord,
For this blessing, we should thank God.

M. Ammar Asif,
13 years, Karachi

Hobby

For the health of the mind and body,
A man must have a hobby,
It may not bring us money or treasure,
But it gives us joy and pleasure,
A pastime is necessary for fun,
So paint, cook or collect stamps,
Or just play under the sun.

Kasra Zunnaiyyer,
14 years, Via email

My grandpa

My grandpa is very old,
Sometimes he feels very cold,
He likes the pink colour,
But his vision is blurred,
He is very polite,
He prays day and night,
He gives me pocket money,
He is sweet like honey.

Kinza Rajper,
10 years, Hyderabad

My feelings

Feelings, feelings, feelings,
Oh! My precious feelings,
Sometimes good feelings,
Sometimes bad feelings,
Feelings are something,
Which is a part of our nature,
And is important for living things.
Living beings are nothing without feelings,
So have feelings and be honest in your dealings.

Aisha Ajmal,
13 years, Daharki

Life

The river was flowing,
Birds were chirping,
Children were playing,
Sun was setting,
This is how life keeps on passing.

Ammar Karim Siddiqui,
10 years