BIG TALK by Liz Magee

It’s well cold and dark down here but I’m not frightened

Well, not really

I’ve been here for years, I can’t count them.

I’ve changed quite a lot, I was an egg once,

But I can’t remember much about that.

I never knew my mum and dad.

It’s not too bad here, you get plenty to eat,

you have to creep about and find it for yourself.   

I like bloodworms best, little bugs are all right but they’re a bit crunchy.  

Sometimes you have to eat larvae and you just have to hope its not your brother.

I’ve grown lots, I keep bursting out of my suit,

It’s a bit of a nuisance at the time,

but the new one fits better.

I try not to worry about things eating me,

there’s a toad over there that keep’s looking at me,  

I just sit very still and try and look horrible.

But its the children you have to look out for

They call it “pond dipping” and you never know where you’ll end up.

I was in a school once but that was ok in the end, they brought me back -

it was the wrong end of the pond but they don’t think you’ll notice.

They called me a nymph which I didn’t like.

It sounds a bit girly,  you just have to look at me to see I’m not like that.

I just can’t wait for the spring, because I’m going to show them all.

I’m going to be a dragonfly when I grow up.

Honest.

I’m going to crawl out of here, into the sunshine and METAMORPHOSIZE!

I’m just going to grow and grow and be loads bigger.

I’m going to have a shiny suit, all different colours,

and the biggest eyes you’ve ever seen

with thirty thousand lenses  so I can see up and down and sideways at the same time

I’m going to have four huge wings - like this - like metal and diamonds

And I’m going to zoom all over the pond.

I’m going to be the fastest, the best and the most scary.

and everyone’s going to be amazed.

You’ll see!                                                                                   Liz Magee