Half
Mum says Dad’s half Danish,
He gets it from his mum.
I’ve been looking at him closely,
From his head down to his bum.
No matter how I look,
I really cannot see
Which half of him is Danish,
And which half is like me.
I asked him if the Danish bit
Was on the bottom or the top.
He said it’s caught inside him
But it’s easy now to spot.
It’s the part that likes a pastry
Morning, noon and night,
The part that lights the candles,
Then marvels at their sight.
The part which puts out flags
When it’s time to celebrate,
The part which makes ring towers
Instead of Christmas cake.
He said the special bit
Is called hygge* - you can’t see,
It’s family and cuddles
And a quarter’s inside me.
Because I’m half my dad,
So I’ve got some Danish too.
Not herrings or liquorice
But hygge through and through.
He gets it from his mum.
I’ve been looking at him closely,
From his head down to his bum.
No matter how I look,
I really cannot see
Which half of him is Danish,
And which half is like me.
I asked him if the Danish bit
Was on the bottom or the top.
He said it’s caught inside him
But it’s easy now to spot.
It’s the part that likes a pastry
Morning, noon and night,
The part that lights the candles,
Then marvels at their sight.
The part which puts out flags
When it’s time to celebrate,
The part which makes ring towers
Instead of Christmas cake.
He said the special bit
Is called hygge* - you can’t see,
It’s family and cuddles
And a quarter’s inside me.
Because I’m half my dad,
So I’ve got some Danish too.
Not herrings or liquorice
But hygge through and through.
*Hygge is a Danish word which is hard to translate. It’s a feeling. Like the feeling when you are wrapped up warm with a blanket, watching a film and drinking hot chocolate with your favourite people on the sofa. That sort of feeling.
This poem is copyright (©) Charlie Bown 2024
About the Writer
Charlie Bown
Charlie has seven rainbow fish, a hamster called Curious and two human children who put pants on their heads and wellies in the washing machine. Her first poetry collection for children, ‘There’s a Poem in my Dungarees!’, was published last year. She loves playing and being silly - with words and in real life.
