Welcome

Hi, my name is Alys Jackson and I'm an author and poet

based in Adelaide, South Australia.

My work has been published in books, magazines,

anthologies and online.

60 Seconds

60 seconds

A lot can happen in 60 seconds and even more in a minute.

You can floss your teeth

and tie your shoes

or blink 12 times within it.

A hummingbird flaps 4,000 times,

there are 59 weddings

and 3 parking fines

(in Melbourne).

300 lightning strikes hit Earth.

250 mothers give birth.

5 earthquakes rattle the world someplace,

but have you ever wondered what happens in space?

For every minute of every day

there’s a cosmic supernova display.

Fireworks on the grandest scale,

a blinding, flashing starburst wail,

as 60 stars begin to implode

their cores superheating until they explode.

Imagine?

Who’d have thought there was that much power?

Makes me wonder what happens each HOUR.

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116 thoughts on “60 Seconds”

    • That’s great to hear, Ranulaka. I had loads of fun finding out about what happens every 60 seconds!! Alys

  2. Hi Alys,
    I really enjoyed 60 seconds. I am quite interested in these sort of things. Also, where did you get all that AMAZING info ( I would love to have a look myself!)? I have read a few other poems you’ve written and I really like like your style. Thaks for you awesome effort.

    Amaya

    • Thanks Amaya. It was fun doing the research for this poem. I must admit, I can’t remember the websites I used – there were so many!! I was actually surprised at how easy it was to find out the information. I’m sure you’d find something, if you looked. I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Alys

  3. This poem was a real eye opener for me. I feel surprised on what can happen in a time span of 60 seconds .

    • I was surprised, too. I had no idea when I started the poem and didn’t realise there’d be so much information about it. Make each minute count!! Alys 😊

  4. hi Alys, i loved the fact that you wrote the poem about things that happen in the time span of 60 seconds. i enjoyed reading the poem and learnt new facts about things that could happen in 60 minutes.

    • Hi Rasandi. I’m glad you enjoyed the poem – it’s always interesting to learn new things. 😊 Alys

  5. Hi alys great poem I agree with you at the end I wonder what does happen in 60 minutes 🤔 a lot can happen in 60 seconds that’s true 😀

    • Yes, sometimes too much can happen in 60 seconds. And time always seems to go slowly when I want it to go quickly – if that makes sense, Yehanya?! Alys 😊

  6. Hi Alys!
    I commented already but it doesnt seem to have worked, hopefully I dont message you twice now!

    I really enjoyed this poem, I loved learning all these things and it makes you wonder what else happens in 60 seconds and made me think you shouldn’t waste any of these seconds!
    Im looking forward to showing my friends this poem, I think they will really like it too!

    From Cael

    • Hi Cael. I’m so pleased that you enjoyed this poem. Great comment, too. Never waste a second of your amazing life – there are so many wonderful things to experience. I hope your friend likes the poem. Alys 😊⏰⌚⌛⏳

  7. Hi Alys.
    I really liked this poem and that’s because it had
    a lot of interesting and true facts and I also liked
    it because when you said 3 parking fines
    (n Melbourne.) because it was being very specific
    and I love being specific even when I want to
    know the time.
    bye!🤗😀🤗😀

    • Hi Tianna. I’m pleased you liked the poem 😁😊😎 I love being specific about facts, too. Although I’m sometimes not very good with time because I’m late getting places….😞😖😝 I probably need to be more organised! Bye Alys

  8. Hi Alys,

    I never knew so many things could happen in 60 seconds!!
    I made me think about these things deeper than I usually do!!

    • I know. It made me think, too. I don’t think about it too deeply, though, or my head would be spinning!! Great comments, Gina 😊 Bye, Alys

  9. Hi Alys,
    I liked this poem because it made me learn many more things like I could never imagine that there can be 59 Weddings and a hummingbird can flap 4,000 times in just 60 seconds. After reading this poem I realised how many things can happen in 60 seconds and how to value time wisely.

    • Great thoughts, Ishrit. I think it’s very important to use time wisely. Although sometimes it’s lovely to just sit back and relax…don’t tell my children I said that though! 😝😆 Alys

  10. Hi Alys
    I liked that poem because it taught me some thing new.The new thing was that 250 mothers give birth.I never new that many mother could give birth in a 60 seconds.

    • It’s quite amazing isn’t it, Thinara?! Just imagine how many birthdays there must be every 60 seconds! 🎉 🙂 Alys

  15. I liked the 60 second poem. I wonder what you could do in 60 seconds in space. I like the ways you use rhyming words. Sometimes I try to make up my own but yours are better than mine.

    PS it took 60 seconds to write this comment.

    • Wow Japleen – did you time yourself writing the comment? Space? Hmmmmm. I’m not sure because everything would be so much more difficult to do without gravity. Great thought 🙂 Alys

  16. I like this poem because it rhymes and I like the words you put into it and it’s also true

  17. Hi Alys,
    I wanted to read this poem a million times but I can’t cuz I knew I would eventually get bored with it and that made me so sad.
    I am on ur website because I’m in the children’s university this year and it sounds sooooo exciting.
    I really think this poem needs a sequel (24 hours?).
    xoxo

    • Thanks Bethany, I’m glad you enjoyed the poem but pleaseeee don’t read it a million times! Wow, even I would be bored. 24 hours, you think. Hmmmm, I’ll have to consider that hard. Might take me a year or two. Alys 🙂

  18. Dear Alys,
    I really like your poem because I never knew that that much things can happen in 60 seconds. I really like how it rhymes and if I could change one thing it would be that if there was information about the sea/sea creatures. I wonder how many parking fines there would be in 60 seconds in the world?

    • Can you believe it Linuka? I was so surprised when I wrote the poem…Don’t even think about the parking fines! It must be millions. 🙂 Alys PS: Good idea about the sea creatures.

  20. Such a great poem and I did enjoy reading it! Wonder what else happens in 60 seconds! 🙂 I really liked how all the rhymes flowed, it made me happy 60 secs and a minute are the same thing so I would have thought of something else 🙂 maybe at the ending I would say about Australia! Sixty second of riding your horse, sixty seconds of spreading sauce, on your meat pie of course!

    • I love your rhyming comments Bailey 🙂 and it’s great to know that you got to thinking what else happens in 60 seconds! Bye Alys

  21. hi Alys
    I really didn’t know that much can happen in 1 minute my mum gave birth to my little sister 4months ago so I guess my mom was also mentioned in the poem

    • Goodness me, yes I suppose your mum is included in the poem. Isn’t it amazing how much happens in such a short amount of time? Bye Alys

  22. Thank you for this very interesting poem. I definitely learnt something I didn’t know before, which was 60 seconds is 1 minute. It was a very good poem. It has made me think of all the things I can do in 60seconds now!!

    • Hi Madison. Thank you for your comments and I’m very glad to hear that you learned something new 🙂 Bye Alys

  23. Hi Alys,
    I am Mia I am 9 years old.
    This poem is awesome 😎. I felt surprised and I loved how much can happen in 60 seconds. My ending would be what could happen in 60 mints. Bye Alys😃👍

    • Great thinking Mia. It would be lots of fun to learn what happens every 60 minutes. And I love your thumbs up 🙂 Bye Alys

  24. Hi Alys
    I am Dinidu, I am 7 years old.
    I love this poem which explains how much things can happen in 60 seconds. I wonder how 250 mothers give birth to new babies in 60 seconds.
    I have a question how long (in seconds)you took to write the 60 seconds poem?

    • Hi Dinidu. Thank you for your comments. Hmmm, I’m not sure I can remember how long it took to write, however, it usually takes me a couple of weeks to finish. First, I do some fact checking (research) then I begin to plan the poem. It’s a long process, isn’t it? I wonder what you can do in 60 seconds? 🙂 Bye Alys

  25. Hi Alys,
    I really loved this poem because:
    1. It made me think about 60 seconds as if it was a really long time! and…
    2. It made me wonder that everyday there’s a cosmic supernova display and I’m just sitting here imagining what it would look like if I saw it from earth?
    This was a really interesting poem and I want you to continue writing these type of poems!!
    From Ella

    • Thank you Ella. You make some really interesting comments. It is incredible, isn’t it? It makes me feel so tiny just thinking about space…And I will definitely keep writing these types of poems 🙂 Bye Alys

  26. Hi Alys,
    It’s me again…….I am 7yrs old (How great it is)
    Anyway I loved this poem. This poem reminded me of the parking fine my Dad got some time ago. It also reminded me about the hail storm just happened today, which my sister Yenuli got really scared.
    To add to your poem, you can write what happens under the sea in 60 seconds.

    • Great comments Tirath! And wasn’t that hail storm fantastic!? Cold though. It made shiver….Brrrrrrr. And my poor lettuces…Anyway. My goodness, your dad got a parking fine? Oh dear, I hope he wasn’t too sad! Lovely idea for the poem, too. Fantastic idea, in fact. Well done! Bye Alys. PS: I hope that Yenuli is OK now!!

    • Thank you Fleur. Although it actually makes me feel very tired thinking about all I could do in 60 seconds. So tired I might have to go and take a nap! Bye Alys

  28. Hi Alys this poem inspired me to make my own 60 seconds poem. My one I’ve given it a little touch of my own. I’ve made it a 50 second poem. So, enough about me that was a great poem and i hope you make more. And that poem made me realise that so many things happen in 60 seconds. So, again thank you for the inspiration.

    • Hi Thomas. How fantastic. I love that you wrote your own poem and I hope that one day you share it. If you write it into a comment it will appear on the website!! Bye Alys 🙂

  29. Hi Alys
    I really liked your 60 seconds poem because it inspired me to think more about what could happen in 60 seconds. I really like how you said three parking fines in Melbourne because you were being very specific about where it happened. I can’t think of any other thing you could add to this poem, as I feel you have done well.
    LOL Yenuli

    • Thanks Yenuli! It’s fun to think of how many things happen in 60 seconds, isn’t it?! Actually, there were so many things to choose from it was quite hard to write this poem!! Great comments by the way. 🙂 Bye Alys

  30. That was a good poem, I liked all the information that was in it, especially for a poem
    Diesel Heyink

    • Thank you Diesel, I’m really pleased that you liked the information. I wonder if you could find some more things that happen in 60 seconds? 🙂 Bye Alys

  31. I never thought how much could happen in 60 seconds. People die, babies are born and so much more. This is truly my favourite poem out of all of them.

    • I too was amazed by how much happens in 60 seconds. It is enough to make your head spin!! Maybe you can think of some more, Chomilka? Bye Alys 🙂

  32. Hi Alys Jackson I loved your poem about what you can do in a minute. Another thing can do in a minute is brush your teeth.another ending could be it makes me want to know what happens every second.

    • Great idea Nuwin! Did you know that Americans eat 350 pizzas every second?!! And a bee flaps its wing 250 times 🙂 Isn’t life amazing! Bye Alys

    • Hi Methuli, I’m sure you could drink milk in 60 seconds but please be careful not to drink too fast! 🙂 You might get stomach ache. Bye Alys

  34. Thank you so much for sharing 60 seconds with us. I love the rhythm, words , thoughts and in summary everything. I couldn’t believe that so much things happening in 60 seconds around the world. Its inspired for me to search and find more things happening in the world in 60 seconds. It tough me every second is important in my life. Time is the most valuable thing I will not be able to get back.

    • H Dinethri. What lovely comments, and I agree with everything you said – time is so very precious and it is important to enjoy every 60 seconds 🙂 Bye Alys

  35. Hi Alys Jackson
    I could drink a glass of milk 🥛 in 60seconds
    and I’m really wondering i

    • Hi Methuli. There are sooo many things we can do in 60 seconds. I hadn’t thought about drinking milk. Good idea 🙂 Bye Alys

  36. I really enjoyed reading this poem, i’ve always loved space and the universe. The way you compared 60 seconds on Earth and space really gave me something to think about

    • I love space and the universe, too, Thenumi. I think that science gives us amazing things to think about, don’t you? Bye Alys

  37. Hi Alys, I loved the poem and it certainly inspired me to think of lots of wonderful and mysterious things happening around us!! Thanks for sharing this poem!!! LOL Thisali

    • Hi Thisali, love your comments! Yes, there are a lot of mysterious things happening. And isn’t the world wonderful? 🙂 Bye Alys

  38. It makes me feel weird
    I like it because there is a lot of it.
    You can change the setting to make it look gorgeous.

  39. Hi Alys I really loved your poetry it was really interesting and in your list of things I do like half these things LOL but since you have inspired me I might think of becoming a writer from Natalee ❤🤘👍

    • Hi Natalee, it’s lovely to know you liked my poetry and I hope that one day you try writing too. Bye Alys 🙂

  41. Hi Alys, I loved your ’60 seconds’. I thought it was really good. I liked how you added so many things people can do in just ’60 seconds.’ I might think about being a writer when I am older. It also made me think about what and how so many people can do in so little time. I wonder what the people on the other side of the world are doing right now. Eating lunch? Watching TV? waking up? In 60 seconds I bet that I could put on my pyjamas, put on my new comfy slippers and also put my sneakers away in my draw with maybe time to spear. Love always Lexi

    • Wow Lexi, you have so many wonderful and clever thoughts! Just thinking about what other people might be doing on the other side of the world is making my head spin. And I think you would be a very good writer. 🙂 Bye, Alys

    • Hi Zoe, I’m glad you liked the poem and I love the fact that you wrote your comment in 60 seconds 🙂 Bye Alys

  44. This poem made me think how much things can change in a short amount of time and how many things can happen.

    • Hi Hannah, I’m glad that the poem got you thinking. I wonder how many more amazing things happen every 60 seconds? Bye, Alys

  45. Hi Alys Jackson I really liked your poem about 60 seconds your amazing from Tameka Howard😍😇⭐️🐶🐼😄

    • Hi Tameka, thank you so much for your comments and I love the emojis!!!! Especially the panda 🙂 Bye, Alys

    • Hi Emma, isn’t it incredible what happens in 60 seconds?! I love learning about these things. I’m glad you do, too. Alys 🙂

  47. Wow this poem inspires me to achieve great things. I am not quite sure but in the middle of that a shiver ran down my spine. Keep calm and keep wrighting

    • Thank you so much for your comments Riley I will definitely keep writing, although I can’t promise I’ll always keep calm :). PS: I am sure you will achieve great things! Bye, Alys

    • Hi Grace, thank you for your comment. I’m glad it got you thinking about everything you can do in 60 seconds 🙂 Bye Alys

  49. This made me wonder how many people live in the world and how much you can do in a minute? you could have said “pat a dog,eat a snack and jump in a circle.

    • Hi Claire, thank you for your comments! I especially like your thought that I could add, ‘eat a snack.’PS: Did you know that there are now more than 7 billion people living in the world?! Wow! Bye Alys

    • Hi Camila, thank you very much 🙂 I wonder how many things you can do in 60 seconds? Bye Alys

  53. I liked the (60 seconds) poem it was quite fun and interesting reading it.
    The (60 seconds) poem was amazing because it made me think about how many things happen and you can do in 60 seconds. Bye.

    • Hi Tawsida, thank you for saying that the poem was fun. Isn’t it amazing how much happens in a single minute?! Bye, Alys

  54. I love all the information on space and I’ve never thought of what could happen within 60 second.
    A lot.

    • Hi again Zachary, thank you for your comments!! Isn’t it amazing how much happens in 60 seconds?! I also love information about space. PS: Did you know that some scientists think that it might rain diamonds on the planet of Uranus?! Wow! Bye Alys

  55. In class i’m the most curios person in the class. 🙂

    I loved that poem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    thanks bye

    • Hi Emma, I’m happy you liked the poem. And well done! You have to be curious if you want to learn 🙂 Bye Alys

  56. Hi Alys

    Thank you for writing this poem (60 seconds) I loved it so so so so so so so much it was amazing.
    I never thought in 60 seconds so much could happen.

    PS this comment took me 60 seconds to write

    PPS and another 60 for it to be sent

    Bye

    • Hi again Flynn. I’m quite amazed that you took 60 seconds to write your comment – and to send it :). Isn’t it incredible how much happens in 1 minute?! Bye Alys

  57. I like this poem… it was fun to read and gave me something to think about. Especially to use my time wisely as a lot can happen and I don’t want to waste even 60 seconds

    • Hi Ella, I’m so glad you enjoyed 60 seconds. Isn’t it amazing how many things happen in just one minute! It makes me tired thinking about it. Bye Alys 🙂

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