The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

Wild

I try to look pretty
I try to blend in
But I know that
I’m seen as a fake.

I know that you think
I’m a blight on the world,
But it’s all just
A dreadful mistake.

Once, years ago
I was all that there was,
I was wild and
A beautiful thing.

I smothered the hedgerows
I popped up in fields.
My colours were
Brighter than bling.

But then cultivation
Came into the world
And people went wild
For their seed.

And now I’m discarded,
I’m sprayed and regarded
As just a removable
weed.

About the Writer


Val Harris

Val lives near Farnham in England. Her debut children’s poem was published online at The Dirigible Balloon, along with several others since then. Her poems have been published in The Caterpillar Magazine, Paperbound Magazine, The Toy Press and Little Thoughts Press. Her first poetry collection, A Classroom of Stars, was published at the end of 2022. She is @valpoet on Instagram and @dragontripper Val Poet on Twitter. Website: www.valharrispoet.co.uk