(November 9 - 1937 / Liverpool / England)

poet Roger McGough
#52 on top 500 poets
What do you think this poem is about?

First Day at School

A millionbillionwillion miles from home
Waiting for the bell to go. (To go where?)
Why are they all so big, other children?
So noisy? So much at home they
Must have been born in uniform
Lived all their lives in playgrounds
Spent the years inventing games
That don't let me in. Games
That are rough, that swallow you up.

And the railings.
All around, the railings.
Are they to keep out wolves and monsters?
Things that carry off and eat children?
Things you don't take sweets from?
Perhaps they're to stop us getting out
Running away from the lessins. Lessin.
What does a lessin look like?
Sounds small and slimy.
They keep them in the glassrooms.
Whole rooms made out of glass. Imagine.

I wish I could remember my name
Mummy said it would come in useful.
Like wellies. When there's puddles.
Yellowwellies. I wish she was here.
I think my name is sewn on somewhere
Perhaps the teacher will read it for me.
Tea-cher. The one who makes the tea.

Submitted: Friday, January 03, 2003


Read poems about / on: teacher, children, running, home, remember, school, child

Comments about this poem (First Day at School by Roger McGough )

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  • Warner Treuter (5/8/2013 3:09:00 AM)

    cute, truly childlike...

    2 person liked.
    		0 person did not like.
  • Claire Thomas (4/13/2013 2:11:00 PM)

    Another good one.Go and see Him if you get the chance, Hes fab.

    1 person liked.
    		0 person did not like.
  • Akanksha Bhatt (10/1/2012 10:37:00 AM)

    this poem makes me smile too! Tea-cher. The one who makes the tea hahaha! well! . really its awesome. i really feel this is the thinking of a small child!

    15 person liked.
    		10 person did not like.
  • Akanksha Bhatt (10/1/2012 10:37:00 AM)

    this poem makes me smile too! Tea-cher. The one who makes the tea hahaha! well! . really its awesome. i really feel this is the thinking of a small child!

    14 person liked.
    		7 person did not like.
  • Dick Badian (11/4/2009 1:10:00 PM)

    glassrooms..I love this creative writing.
    this poem made me smile.

    thank u

    39 person liked.
    		24 person did not like.
  • David Woods (3/16/2009 4:41:00 PM)

    Whimsey. With soul. Takes me back.

    25 person liked.
    		30 person did not like.
  • Ian Fraser (2/17/2009 5:17:00 PM)

    It reminds me of the famous joke in Laurie Lee's Cider with Rosie. The teacher tells Laurie to 'wait there for the present' but he goes home never having got one....

    26 person liked.
    		19 person did not like.
  • Mariana Balestrini (9/8/2007 5:10:00 PM)

    I am a teacher and this poem has touched my soul deeply as well as it has made me remember my days at kindergarten. What a fantastic poet with such a sweet view!

    34 person liked.
    		20 person did not like.
  • Steph Y (4/13/2007 7:50:00 AM)

    The last line made me laugh out loud.

    25 person liked.
    		25 person did not like.
  • Joe Parslow (9/12/2006 2:54:00 PM)

    We examined and perfromed this poem in a GCSE Drama lesson. I found it an extremely evocative poem and it really let our group explore our dramatic devices. We performed the poem and we were told that it was a perfromance standard piece so i thank the poet for giving us such a fantastic piece to work on.

    20 person liked.
    		25 person did not like.
Read all 19 comments »

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