This one was published in the Sheffield Journal, a local newspaper, as the winner of the “Poet’s Corner” on 27 August 1992. I vaguely remember winning either a fiver or a tenner – I was quite happy at the time. I was 14.
Red is the poppy
Which dances all day
In fields of corn
The poppy doth lay
Yellow is the daffodil
Of secrets untold
A babbling brook
Or a stream of gold
Various colours the tulip may be
Very beautiful, so pretty to see
Blue is the cornflower
Blue as the sky
In winter this flower
Will wither and die
White is the daisy
White as the snow
In green, green grass
The daisy will grow
Scarlet is the pimpernel
A scarlet red
It grows as if bleeding for someone who’s dead
Of all these flowers
I like them so
Some give me happiness
And some give me woe