[ # 73 of My Favourite Short Poems ]
Michael Wayne Rosen (1946 – present) is an English children’s novelist and poet, the author of 140 books. He served as Children’s Laureate from June 2007 to June 2009.
He has been a TV presenter and a political columnist. (Adapted from Wikipedia).
‘MY BROTHER’ . . . by Michael Rosen
my brother’s on the floor roaring
my brother’s on the floor roaring
why is my brother on the floor roaring?
my brother is on the floor roaring
because he’s supposed to finish his beans
before he has his pudding
but he doesn’t want to finish his beans
before he has his pudding
he says he wants his pudding
NOW
but they won’t let him
So now my brother is on the floor roaring
They’re saying
I’ll give you one more chance to finish those beans
or you don’t go to Tony’s
But he’s not listening
Because he’s on the floor roaring
he’s getting told off
I’m not
I’ve eaten my beans
and do you know what I’m doing now?
I’m eating my pudding
and he’s on the floor roaring
if he wasn’t on the floor roaring
he’d see me eating my pudding
if he looked really close
he might see a little tiny smile
just at the corner of my mouth
but he’s not looking.
he’s on the floor roaring.
the pudding is ok
it’s not wonderful
not wonderful enough
to be sitting on the floor and roaring about –
unless you’re my brother
MY BROTHER . . .
This poem of Michael Rosen’s comes from his collection ‘Who Drew on the Baby’s Head?’, (Publisher: Scholastic – 1991). If you can place yourself, perhaps with some difficulty, in the place of a young schoolchild listening with his peers, perhaps in a school assembly, to Michael Rosen reading aloud his story-poem, I think you will see the attraction much of his work has – particularly for younger children.
A video of Rosen’s own reading of his poem can be viewed on YouTube @: ‘My Brother’
Great! Watched the video of Michael Rosen reading it – brilliant!
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Thanks, Maggie. Yes, easy to understand his appeal to children.
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Wonderful – so insightful
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Thanks, Derrick. He does understand young children – seems to know instinctively what they will enjoy.
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Thanks for this excellent share Roland. Watching him recite his poem takes it to a completely different level. It brought back many memories of growing up and the dark art of veiled threats.
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I do agree, Davy. His reading of the poem brings it alive.
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Roland, this is really great. You do have a treasure trove of poems I believe.
Michael Rosen really does understand children of various temperaments and know how to relate. The repitiion of ” roaring” is so effective. And of course ” pudding” on the positive end.
And the beans…..not many kids liked those.
The last stanza really brings it down to earth. The pudding wasn’t that good…so
all that roaring for nothing.
Miriam
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I thank you for your perceptive comments, Miriam.
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Thank you for sharing this, Roland!
He is an amazing novelist and poet!
HUGS!!! 🙂
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Thank you for commenting HUGS.
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You’re welcome! 🙂
I hope you are doing well today!
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Yes, indeed Just attempting to keep warm.
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