Poet Feature ... Pie Corbett
Hello Balloonists!
Here on the Dirigible Balloon, we’ve had a busy start to 2025. An unofficial world record upload of poems (to any poetry website for children), the launch of our brand new anthology Sky Surfing (raising awareness and funds for Juvenile Arthritis Research) and a further flight of brilliant poems over the month of March which have just been sent to the Balloon … all very exciting stuff.You wouldn’t think it could get any more exciting than that …
but it just did !
WE CAN'T WAIT!
So, without further ado, the Dirigible Balloon is proud to present
the life, work and poems of Pie Corbett:
He has edited 24 anthologies and his collection, ‘Evidence of Dragons’ is used in many classrooms. He was writer-in residence at the Kent Festival, and has appeared at the Cheltenham and Edinburgh Festivals. He has worked on BBC radio and tv programmes, was nominated for a BAFTA and the Japanese Prize for educational tv. He is well-known for creating the Talk for Writing approach to learning, which is widely used within UK primary schools and around the world. He was made an honorary Doctor of Letters for services to creativity, poetry and social justice by the Open University and during the pandemic lockdown in 2020, he produced a daily, interactive radio show based on developing children as readers and writers. Each show featured a guest poet or author.
Pie Corbett was born and raised in Sedlescombe, East Sussex, on a farm where he was one of five brothers. After leaving school, he studied Education at East Sussex College of Higher Education. He worked as a teacher in both primary and secondary schools teaching English and writing poetry. He later became a headteacher, educational trainer, school inspector and advisor to the UK government.
Pie created a unique storytelling approach to help children enjoy, remember and learn from stories. In 2008 this method became the basis of his excellent Talk for Writing programme, designed to encourage children’s love of the written word while improving their literacy and oracy skills. He is well-known for promoting creative and enjoyable approaches to teaching and learning in the classroom. He regularly lectures on education all around the United Kingdom and because of his expertise, the UK government has consulted Pie Corbett as an educational advisor.
He has contributed regularly to the Times Educational Supplement and has been the editor or co-editor of many collections of poems. Early in his writing career he published a popular collection of poetry with Brian Moses and John Rice entitled Rice Pie and Moses. Pie has been featured on various CDs and DVDs concerning education and/or poetry and here on the Dirigible Balloon, we are lucky enough to have six of his wonderful poems for you to read:
‘Moonflowers’ and ‘Windtrees’ you might find on the Island of Neverbelieve. ‘Rain-slider’ and ‘Deadly Gold’ were written in response to Blake’s ‘Tyger’. ‘Instructions for Finding a lost Explorer’ and ‘Stella Oceanus’ arose from creative work based on Vashti hardy’s novel ‘Brightstorm’. Vashti appointed Pie as the skyship’s poet.
Moonflowers
Moonflowers blossom
like silver umbrellas,
stretching out green vines
that grasp nearby trees.
Their red roots,
Like wire, dig deep
into soft soil
that crumbles
easily as fruit cake.
The green stem juts up,
like a flexible straw,
as green as cat’s eyes.
Leaves hang
like little, soft fingernails.
Pastel pale, albino flowers,
edged with red, yawn
revealing the secret stash
of pollen gold.
Pie Corbett
Windtrees
Windtrees lean with the wind,
like strange dancers.
Their roots are knuckles
gripping onto the earth.
The trunk is slender
as a ballerina’s waist,
covered in silver bark.
Branches weep,
twigs are finger-thin.
Leaves rustle messages.
Owl-roost, rook-haven;
Windtrees.
Pie Corbett
Rain-slider
Snail, snail,
why are you so slow
as you wend your way
down the path?
Snail, snail,
do you prefer the rain to the sunshine?
Who said that you could go out
with no umbrella?
Snail, snail,
why is your house upon your back?
Why take your frail home wherever you go?
Snail, snail,
why do you hide so quickly,
slipping back into your home
whenever I’m around?
Snail, snail,
is it hard to move along
with only one foot to step your way?
Snail, snail,
who condemned you to slither
through the world
not able to fly, hop, skip or jump?
Snail, snail,
are you leaving a silvery trail
for someone else to follow?
Snail, snail,
when your alien eyes jut out
curious on sensitive stalks,
can see me, watching you?
Pie Corbett – ship’s poet
Deadly Gold
Tiger’s rusted fur
surrounds an eye
that sees into souls.
An eye, ever-widening;
the pupil your final full stop,
an eclipse.
The iris is sea-green,
surrounded by a wedding ring
of deadliest gold.
White whiskers sprout
fine and wiry,
as grandad’s beard,
sensing the air,
sensing your fear.
Tiger’s fur bristles,
ripples shadows
across it’s back;
soft flames flicker
streaked by snow-caps.
Tiger eyes the world
and wonders
as cage bars
cast their shadows.
Pie Corbett – ship’s poet
Instructions for Finding a Lost Explorer
First, travel to the Oceanus Stella
where the islands are scattered
like green dice upon a blue table.
Pause on each island
and listen to what the sea shells
whisper in your ear.
Follow the raven’s flight
until you reach the hidden forest.
Beneath a talking tree,
there will be a deep well.
Shout into the well
and listen to the echo
as it will give you good advice.
Do not talk to any goblins
and ignore whatever any trolls suggest.
Beware of wolves and jealous guardians.
Climb the glass mountain,
with the help of a sturdy pair
of butterfly wings.
Now capture a moonbeam.
Search in the caves,
until you find a leaf-map.
The map will show you
where your lost friend is imprisoned!
Pie Corbett – ship’s poet
Stella Oceanus
On the island of Vestra,
I found a curious cactus caught
in a cloud of confetti petals,
below sky-gliders.
On the island of Dantos,
I saw a zebra’s stripes
like jet-black shadows on a frosted-hillside.
On the island of Juno,
I watched the trail of exhaust fumes from a skyship
as soft as a cloud path
and as deadly as a cobra’s venom.
On the island of Orcus,
I heard the sound of a courteous crane,
breathing sparks across a desolate city
as it snoozed and the night streets yawned.
On the island of Pelastria,
I felt the memory of polar bears with moon-claws,
snow-fur and sunset-rimmed eyes
that once had swum the whale-highway.
On the island of Amulus,
I touched the cloud-shifter,
saw a wind-glider hover
as a red nut-cracker
leapt from a leaf-carrier.
On the island of Sol,
I touched the moment between
a slip, a slap and a heart’s
final trip trap over the bridge.
Pie Corbett – ship’s poet
article by Jonathan Humble
Poetry copyright (©) Pie Corbett 2025
This poem is copyright (©) Pie Corbett 2026
About the Writer
Pie Corbett
Pie Corbett is an English educational trainer, writer, storyteller and poet. He has edited 24 anthologies and his collection, ‘Evidence of Dragons’ is a classroom staple. He was writer-in residence at the Kent festival, and has appeared at the Cheltenham and Edinburgh Festivals. He has worked on BBC radio and tv programmes, was nominated for a BAFTA and the Japanese Prize for educational tv. He is well-known for creating the Talk for Writing approach to learning, which is widely used within UK primary schools and around the world. A new collection is appearing in September from Otter-Barry Books, titled Dragon Cat.
