Second Wind
My legs are lead.
My feet, concrete.
My knees are nobbled too.
I cannot take another step.
My shoes are full of glue.
I’m stopping here.
I’m lying down.
This pavement is my bed.
What’s that?
You heard the ice-cream van?
Quick! I’ll run on ahead!
My feet, concrete.
My knees are nobbled too.
I cannot take another step.
My shoes are full of glue.
I’m stopping here.
I’m lying down.
This pavement is my bed.
What’s that?
You heard the ice-cream van?
Quick! I’ll run on ahead!
This poem is copyright (©) Sarah Ziman 2025

About the Writer
Sarah Ziman
Sarah is originally from Wales, now living in Hertfordshire. She prefers to write poetry for children, though thinks that the best poems can be enjoyed by people of all ages. She has three times been highly commended in The Caterpillar Poetry Prize, and won first prize in the 2021 YorkMix Poems for Children Competition. Her work has appeared in
anthologies published by Macmillan, OUP, Pomelo Books and Candlestick Press, and various print magazines and online journals. Her first solo collection for children, 'Why Did My Brain Make Me Say It?' comes out in September 2024 with Troika.