The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

Digging Deep

When I was little, I went to the beach,
and dug a huge hole in the sand.
My aim was to crawl to Australia,
and visit their upside-down land.

Now that I’m older, I know that was daft.
My effort was barely a pit!
That hole won't have even dented Earth’s crust,
and that’s like the thinnest bit...

Thousands of miles of mantle comes next;
Below that, a thick outer core;
Then, inside of that, it’s the size of the moon -
Down there’s where the temperatures soar:

Nearly three-thousand degrees Fahrenheit!
I think you’ll agree, that’s a scorcher.
And that only gets you halfway to Oz,
so, digging a hole would be torture.

But...
I’m back at the beach and I’m ready to try:
I’ll shovel until I am sore.
I’m willing to face all those layers, IF...
it means I can see YOU once more.

About the Writer


Sue Lancaster

Sue is a children's writer living in South West London with her husband, two children and pet budgie, Buddy. Before turning her hand to writing, Sue worked in TV as a Production Manager and got her degree in Media Studies at the University of East London. She grew up in Clacton on the coast of Essex and spent much of her childhood writing stories and poems, playing with her three cats, and being tormented by her two older brothers.