Gremlins
Sneaky little, cheeky little, squeaky little gremlins,
Meddling with machinery and tinkering with tyres,
Slipping through the pipe work and ratcheting the ratchets
Winding and unwinding and then twisting up the wires.
Naughty little gremlins, what have they been doing?
Fastenings need fixing, things don’t do what they should,
Send for the mechanics (though they’ve been here twice this morning),
We’re sure that it’s the gremlins and they’re all up to no good!
Meddling with machinery and tinkering with tyres,
Slipping through the pipe work and ratcheting the ratchets
Winding and unwinding and then twisting up the wires.
Naughty little gremlins, what have they been doing?
Fastenings need fixing, things don’t do what they should,
Send for the mechanics (though they’ve been here twice this morning),
We’re sure that it’s the gremlins and they’re all up to no good!
Author’s note: Gremlins are imaginary creatures that were invented in the early 20th century. Originally, gremlins were used as a funny explanation for when there was an unexpected mechanical problem with an aeroplane.
This poem is copyright (©) Annelies Judson 2026
About the Writer
Annelies Judson
Annelies Judson is a children's author and poet from Aotearoa New Zealand. She
loves cooking, cricket and her kids (not in that order). She also has alopecia, but
that is neither hair nor there. Her debut picture book, Turkey Hurly-Burly, was
released by Scholastic (NZ) in 2025. You can find her at anneliesjudson.wordpress.com
