The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

Freda, the Flat-footed Fairy

Listen to Colin read his poem ...
I’m Freda, the flat-footed fairy,
My friends are the twinkle-toed lot —
They’re slippery as butter,
They flit and they flutter —
But look at these two feet I’ve got.

It’s hard on a flat-footed fairy,
When others are nimble and quick,
To have two clod hoppers

Which really are whoppers,
Good only for giving a kick.

My friends are all frightfully flighty,
They frolic and fly fancy-free,

They’re frothy and frilly
And frequently silly,
And not at all clumsy like me.

My feet, like the lids of a dustbin,
Pictures copyright (©) Colin West 2021
Pictures copyright (©) Colin West 2021

Are big and as flat as can be.
I can’t be a leader,
I’m just poor old Freda,
The flat-footed fairy, that’s me.

But wait! Things are not always awful,
And something that does make me laugh —
I can stamp on a walnut,
A big or a small nut,
And break it quite cleanly in half!

About the Writer


Colin West

Colin lives in Battle, East Sussex. He studied Graphic Design and Illustration and has written and illustrated over 50 children’s books. His poems have appeared in anthologies by Roger McGough and Julia Donaldson. He now writes purely for his own pleasure and enjoys collecting old books, mainly of poetry.