In-betweener
Listen to Sarah read her poem
Well, here is a puzzle I can’t seem to fix –
Am I in year seven? Or still a year six?
Primary’s over – it’s finished, all done
There’s no doubt about it; the summer’s begun.
I’ve taken my books home
I’ve emptied my tray
No need to rehearse
for the end of school play.
The hooks are all empty
My polo shirt’s signed
I’ve sat all my SATs
Left my first school behind.
So, secondary’s coming ¬– a total clean slate –
but that’s in September, all summer to wait.
I need a new backpack
I’ll wear a new tie
The teachers don’t know me
and…neither do I.
Just who will I be –
when I enter this school?
A miniscule fish,
in a gigantic pool.
Yes, I am a puzzle I can’t seem to fix
Not quite in year seven, no longer year six.
Am I in year seven? Or still a year six?
Primary’s over – it’s finished, all done
There’s no doubt about it; the summer’s begun.
I’ve taken my books home
I’ve emptied my tray
No need to rehearse
for the end of school play.
The hooks are all empty
My polo shirt’s signed
I’ve sat all my SATs
Left my first school behind.
So, secondary’s coming ¬– a total clean slate –
but that’s in September, all summer to wait.
I need a new backpack
I’ll wear a new tie
The teachers don’t know me
and…neither do I.
Just who will I be –
when I enter this school?
A miniscule fish,
in a gigantic pool.
Yes, I am a puzzle I can’t seem to fix
Not quite in year seven, no longer year six.
This poem is copyright (©) Sarah Ziman 2025
About the Writer
Sarah Ziman
Sarah is originally from Wales, now living in Hertfordshire. She prefers to write poetry for children, though thinks that the best poems can be enjoyed by people of all ages. She has three times been highly commended in The Caterpillar Poetry Prize, and won first prize in the 2021 YorkMix Poems for Children Competition. Her work has appeared in
anthologies published by Macmillan, OUP, Pomelo Books and Candlestick Press, and various print magazines and online journals. Her first solo collection for children, 'Why Did My Brain Make Me Say It?' comes out in September 2024 with Troika.
