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My Favourite Poem - Jane
Nelstrop
| Title: |
My Shadow
|
| Author: |
Robert Louis Stevenson
|
| Recommended age range: |
7 years upwards |
| This poem can be found in: |
A Child’s Garden of Verses
Puffin Books ISBN 0141324627
|
| My response to this poem: |
This poem really reminds me of my
childhood. I had to learn this for a Speech and Drama
festival when I was younger, so spent many an hour reciting it to
all my family and friends and anyone else who would listen! It
conjures up wonderful images in my mind and I love the idea that
when your shadow is with you, you always have a friend by your side
as you explore and investigate the world.
|
I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to my head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.
The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to
grow:
Not at all like proper children, which is always very
slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber
ball,
And he sometimes goes so little that there's none of him at
all.
He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to
play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close behind me, he's a coward you can see;
I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to
me!
One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in
bed.