The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

If I were a Star

Listen to Harula red her poem ...
If I were a star,
which I’m not, but if I were,
I’d say:

“Turn them out! Make it darker!
Can’t you see? We’re trying to shine up here!
You can’t make a wish on a shooting bedside lamp,
and you could do with a few of your dreams coming true.
Help us help you!”

If I were a star,
which I’m not, but if I were,
I’d say:

“Come closer, sky mates,
let’s make a great galaxy!
So light and bright we could be seen
with the naked eye at night.
We’d shine so much earth folks would say,
‘Wow, it’s almost like day!
Only, in a more silvery way.’”

If I were a star,
which I’m not, but if I were,
I’d say:

“Ban all closed curtains after sundown
or you’ll never know night’s magic.
Curtains have their place during the day,
when the sun shines on your screens
and you can’t see a thing,
but at night, it’s not right to shut out the stars.”

If I were a star,
which I’m not, but if I were,
I’d say:

“Remember friends, death is not our end.
The light we shone while we lived goes on
stretching its way towards the very edge of the universe
and beyond.”

If I were a star,
which I’m not, but if I were,
I’d say:

Nothing, because stars don’t speak.
But they do shine, and remind us
a whole new day is just a few dreams away.

About the Writer


Harula Ladd

Harula published her first book of poetry aged 10, using her Dad's new photocopier and a handy stapler! Currently living in Plymouth with a cat named Wendy, Harula is a regular performer on the South West open mic scene and loves writing on the spot poems for the public in just three minutes! Her poem, Skin, was recently nominated for the Pushcart prize. This is her first published outing as a writer of poetry for children!