There’s a chicken at my door
that I’m trying to ignore.
She can SEE that I am napping
but that chicken keeps on tapping.
Now the cockerel’s at it, too,
with his cock-a-doodle-do.
And I know I’m looking surly,
but it really IS quite early!
And look, here comes the cat.
I’m too sleepy for a chat
and pre-breakfast conversation
only adds to my frustration!
Now the cockerel and the hen
have just started up again
and the chicks have joined the rapping
with their clucking and their tapping!
Oh, and right, here come the sheep!
How’s a dog supposed to sleep
with the baa-aas and cock-a-doo-ing?
Wait! Now all the cows are mooing,
while the cat is caterwauling,
and the sheep have come a-calling!
(Though it’s really not yet morning –
can’t they see that I’m still yawning?)
I can tell that they’re all looking…
I can hear the latch unhooking…
And they’re crowding in around me.
Sheep and cows and chicks surround me.
Now the cat is on my head
and the chicken’s in my bed!
And her beak is tap, tap, tapping.
But there’s no more time for napping.
And it’s time I stopped my grumping.
(’Cos I’ve just remembered something –
I can feel my tail start thumping…)
As I open up one eye,
they meow and bleat and cry,
“Surprise, surprise! Get out of bed!
Happy Birthday, Sleepyhead!”
*
Gaynor Andrews loves the rhythm of language and has a particular passion for rhyme. Her rhyming picture book, Pandora and the Story Forge, celebrates the magic of words and the power of stories. Her poetry has appeared in the Caterpillar magazine and the Dirigible Balloon anthologies. Gaynor has taught in schools across the UK and internationally. She is now an editor of educational resources and lives in the beautiful Scottish Highlands, where she enjoys walking, cycling and coastal rowing.
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