The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

Calm down, dear! It’s just an elephant

Listen to Emma reading her poem ...
I’ve been trying to insure my elephant,
third party fire and theft.
I don’t want fully comprehensive
but am after a low rate of excess.

I’ve paid for six months road tax,
and he’s passed his MOT.
But there seems to be a problem.
Whatever can it be?

He’s hasn’t got a patch of rust.
His body work is fine.
He’s on a low emission diet,
and he always starts first time.

We only go out on Sundays,
when there’s nothing on the telly.
Off to the country for casual drives,
me and my dear mate Nelly.

You might have heard him trumpet
when we’re changing gears.
I work the lights and indicators,
and Nelly brakes and steers.

We don’t take life too seriously,
but we stick to the laws of the land.
We’re very aware we could run into you
and we fully understand

elephants can do lots of damage
if they go giddy and faint.
You’d probably need more than a panel knocked out.
And one or two coats of paint.

Which is why I’ve been on the blower
to Esure and the rest,
and checked out all the comparison sites
to find out which company’s best.

I don’t want to pay in instalments,
I’ve got some money in the bank,
but none of them wanted to take it.
They all refused, point blank.

In the end a nice woman explained things,
our license has been revoked.
But that, I said, is ridiculous,
this must be some sort of a joke
.

Turns out my big-earred pal and I
won’t be motoring any more.
Nelly’s trunk driving, apparently,
was completely against the law.

About the Writer


Emma Purshouse

Emma Purshouse is a writer and performance poet. She writes for both children and adults. Her children's poetry collection 'I Once Knew a Poem Who Wore a Hat' is published by Fair Acre Press and won the poetry section of the Rubery Book Award in 2016.