The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

When It’s Up To Me

Listen to Hazel ...
When I’m grown,
I’ll never be tired.
I’ll eat what I want for dinner:
salt and vinegar crisp roll for starter,
hot dog with two wiggly ketchup lines for main,
cinema-bought pick and mix for pudding.
I’ll spend a week watching all the films I’m not allowed to see,
staring at the screen,
all
day
long.
I’ll eat biscuits on the couch.
I’ll eat biscuits everywhere.
My dog, his name will be Winston, will eat the crumbs.
When I take Winston for a walk, I’ll leave my jacket open,
or not wear one.
I’ll still brush my teeth;
I need them for eating exactly what I fancy.
I’ll shower too,
but only when I’m dirty,
filthy, stinky, dirty.
And of course I’ll go to bed,
when I’m tired,
which will be never.
My mum and dad can live in my house,
but if they try to hang their coats on a peg,
eat with a knife and fork,
or wash between their toes,
I’ll have to remind them,
not here,
because here, it’s
up
to
me.

About the Writer


Hazel Knox

Hazel is a children’s poet, writer and occupational therapist based in Edinburgh. She was a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Awardee in 2021 and her poems have been published in The Toy, Little Thoughts Press and Paddler Press. Her chapter book ‘The Night Pixie’ is out in 2024 with HB Publishing House. You can find her on X @hazel_knox / Instagram @hazelknox_writer / hazelknox.com