Change
Leopards cannot change their spots,
Or so some people say,
But what’s inside can change a lot:
We all change every day.
Elephants can be graceful,
Lions can be meek,
Puppies aren’t always playful,
Mice do more than squeak.
Hamsters do get off the wheel,
Sloths don’t only nap,
Tortoises can move with zeal,
Crocs do more than snap,
Horses yay as well as neigh,
Cock-a-doodles don’t.
If you believe you can’t change
Well, it’s true, you won’t.
But reject expectation,
And shrug off labels too,
Change is the foundation
Of super, brilliant YOU!
Or so some people say,
But what’s inside can change a lot:
We all change every day.
Elephants can be graceful,
Lions can be meek,
Puppies aren’t always playful,
Mice do more than squeak.
Hamsters do get off the wheel,
Sloths don’t only nap,
Tortoises can move with zeal,
Crocs do more than snap,
Horses yay as well as neigh,
Cock-a-doodles don’t.
If you believe you can’t change
Well, it’s true, you won’t.
But reject expectation,
And shrug off labels too,
Change is the foundation
Of super, brilliant YOU!
This poem is copyright (©) Rhiannon Oliver 2023
About the Writer
Rhiannon Oliver
Rhiannon is an actress, writer, workshop leader and mum from Cardiff. She graduated from RADA in 2004 and has performed with companies such as Shakespeare’s Globe, The National Theatre, BBC and Sky 1. Rhiannon started sharing her poems in Spring 2021 and has upcoming publications in Nawr Magazine, and anthologies with Nine Pens Press and Arachne Press. In June 2021, she was named Spoken Word Runner-Up in Poetry for Good, a national poetry competition celebrating key workers. She has recently started writing poetry for children and is currently working on a rhyming middle grade adventure story.
