The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

A Woodland’s Voice

Come take a stroll
through the woods.
There is no judgement here,
just the whooshing
and swishing of trees
in the cool breeze.
They don’t care
what clothes you wear
or how you have your hair.
No yelling
that you’re not good enough,
just the sound
of a babbling brook.
No shouting,
‘‘Shut up!’’
‘‘You’re too much!’’
No one whispering
behind your back,
just a woodpecker’s
tap, tap, tap.
The birds don’t ask why
you didn’t achieve
top grades,
they cry melodies
of triumph
and praise.
The humming bees
don’t mind
that you don’t visit
every day.
They know you’ll find
your way
back home
to us
one day.

About the Writer


Josie De Falco

Josie grew up in a large Italian/English family near the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. Childhood memories of the countryside is her main source of inspiration. Josie is an advocate for encouraging children to explore their imagination through nature. Her poems have been published in Little Thoughts Press, Parakeet Magazine, The Toy, Picture Perfect Poetry and the Dirigible Balloon’s upcoming anthology Sky Surfing: Adventures in a Poetry Balloon. Josie is often seen taking photos of the wildlife on her allotment.