Choose your level of challenge and answer questions about these Summer themed poems.

The Sound Keeper

I read a book this morning

With photos of the past;

Of memories when I was young,

And sounds that always last.

The pictures were of holidays,

The pictures were of me,

But the ones that I remembered best

Were right beside the sea.

The crying of the seagulls,

The laughter in the air,

The hum of all the people,

And the music of the fair.

The slurp of drippy ice cream,

The fizz of cola pop,

Applying sun cream to my back,

Slippy, slappy, slop.

The whooshing of the pebbles,

The crashing of the waves,

The gurgling and rushing

Of the water in the caves.

The sound of my legs splashing,

Swimming in the sea,

Dad is paddling to my left

And Mum is here with me.

I read a book this morning,

The sounds, they always last.

It keeps them there, fresh like new,

Memories of my past.

Dragonfly Out in the Sun

by David Windle

I am a dragonfly

and I live on the breeze,

between the reeds and rushes

and the sun’s soft fingers.

I am a dragonfly

and my wings are like water,

or as sharp as two swords

cutting the air into pieces.

I am a dragonfly

and my eyes are like glass,

as round as the moon

they see all that pass.

I am a dragonfly

and my body’s a spear;

as sharp as an eagle

I hunt for my prey.

I am a dragonfly

and I float like a dancer

over the pond’s still surface,

which reflects, like a mirror,

my miraculous presence.

Do you know how I feel?

Comprehension Questions - Trickier and Trickiest.

1. Where does the dragonfly live? 

2. Whose point of view is this poem written from?

3. What do you think the poet feels about dragonflies? Why do you think this? 

4. In verse one, there are 3 examples of alliteration. Find and copy them. 

5. How many similes are there in this poem? Which is your favourite? Why?

6. What do you think the word, 'miraculous' means?

7. Comment on why you think the poet ends the poem with the question: ‘Do you know how I feel?’ What impact does this have on the reader?