The Jellyfish’s Secret
Bobbing white jellyfish
tentacles dragging
propelling yourself around
puffing your body out
then woooshhhh exhaling
forward rocketing
side to side slopping
in the sea’s suck and swelling
yet you have a big secret
and I hope no one eats you
no ocean going belly
can digest a jellyfish
that’s really a plastic bag
tentacles dragging
propelling yourself around
puffing your body out
then woooshhhh exhaling
forward rocketing
side to side slopping
in the sea’s suck and swelling
yet you have a big secret
and I hope no one eats you
no ocean going belly
can digest a jellyfish
that’s really a plastic bag
This poem is copyright (©) Melinda Szymanik 2024
About the Writer
Melinda Szymanik
Melinda is an award-winning New Zealand author of picture books, short stories and novels for children and young adults. Notable titles include The Were-Nana (Scholastic, 2008) winner of Children’s Choice at the 2009 NZ Post Children’s Book Awards, A Winter’s Day in 1939 (Scholastic, 2013) winner of Librarian’s Choice at the 2014 LIANZA Awards, and Fuzzy Doodle (Scholastic, 2016) a 2017 White Raven selection. She also writes poetry for adults and children, and regularly teaches creative writing.
