Daddy Long Legs*
There’s a dingly dangly Daddy Long Legs darting through the air;
it zigzags up the window pane and zagzigs round my chair.
It will not buzz like Busy Bee or land on food like Fly;
it isn’t cross like Stripey Wasp or cute like Butterfly.
It doesn’t headbang on the light as Moth is prone to do,
just zipzaps round the lampshade with three pairs of legs in view.
It doesn’t bite or hurt at all when swerving into me,
but tickles with its lanky legs and crash-lands on my knee!
I saw one lose a leg last week, caught fast in Spider’s lair.
It didn’t seem to mind at all, just left a left leg there.
With five lean legs, it wriggled free and flicked a sassy wing,
then flew off down the garden where it zigzagged up the swing.
This dingly dangly Daddy Long Legs, has it come to stay?
Or if I keep the door ajar, will it
zig
zag
zig
a
w
a
y?
it zigzags up the window pane and zagzigs round my chair.
It will not buzz like Busy Bee or land on food like Fly;
it isn’t cross like Stripey Wasp or cute like Butterfly.
It doesn’t headbang on the light as Moth is prone to do,
just zipzaps round the lampshade with three pairs of legs in view.
It doesn’t bite or hurt at all when swerving into me,
but tickles with its lanky legs and crash-lands on my knee!
I saw one lose a leg last week, caught fast in Spider’s lair.
It didn’t seem to mind at all, just left a left leg there.
With five lean legs, it wriggled free and flicked a sassy wing,
then flew off down the garden where it zigzagged up the swing.
This dingly dangly Daddy Long Legs, has it come to stay?
Or if I keep the door ajar, will it
zig
zag
zig
a
w
a
y?
*The Daddy Long Legs mentioned in this poem is a type of crane fly. It is most often seen flying around in late summer and early autumn in the UK. With very long, thin legs, its wings are almost transparent. Daddy Long Legs do not bite or sting.
This poem is copyright (©) Rhona Stephens 2025
About the Writer
Rhona Stephens
Rhona Stephens grew up in Northern Ireland and now lives in Scotland. She loves words and music, living in the country and visiting the coast, especially the north coast of Ireland. You can find her poems for children in Tyger Tyger, The Toy, Parakeet, Dirigible Balloon, PaperBound and Charles Causley Trust.
