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Mon, 1:00PM
overcast clouds
16.6°C
WSW 10mph
overcast clouds
16.6°C
WSW 10mph
 | Sunrise | 5:23AM |
| Sunset | 6:45PM |  |
Steve Whitaker
Features Writer
@stevewhitaker1.bsky.social
P.ublished 7th September 2026
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Children's Poem Of The Week: Catamaran Smile By Carmella de Keyser
Catamaran Smile
As the rope is drawn away from the anchor,
As the captain concentrates and charts his course,
As the coast shrinks into glassy, shaken water,
As the percussion of waves evolve into an engine’s hum,
As the boats wood begins to creak,
As the propeller turns and bites the sea,
As the golden sunset glows then sinks into orange jelly.
A dolphin slices through the sunlit ocean space-
An irrepressible smile across its face!
As the rope is drawn away from the anchor,
As the captain concentrates and charts his course,
As the coast shrinks into glassy, shaken water,
As the percussion of waves evolve into an engine’s hum,
As the boats wood begins to creak,
As the propeller turns and bites the sea,
As the golden sunset glows then sinks into orange jelly.
A dolphin slices through the sunlit ocean space-
An irrepressible smile across its face!
The gathering excitement is clear but measured: de Keyser's skilled use of repetition and rhythm adds momentum to each accretion, and motors the poem with the relentless vigour of an outboard.
And finally, in happy conjunction, the image of the dolphin itself, utterly free in its velocitous quest towards an impossibly delicious sunset.
Carmella de Keyser's new collection of poems for older children - The Amygdala Safari is published by Parlyaree Press (2026)
Also by Steve Whitaker...
From Ukraine To Kilimanjaro: Diana's JourneyPoem Of The Week: Hilltop By Ruth SharmanPoem Of The Week: Pretending Not To Sleep By Ian Hamilton (1938-2001)Poem Of The Week: Trust Me By Mary RuefleCitizens Of Nowhere: Journeys Of Hope - The Letters Of Meyer And Sonia By Alison MarshallThe shortened address for this article is: newspub.uk/320u7
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