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.

Cry Baby!

My baby brother’s crying. What if he just won’t stop?
My mother’s running all around, clutching at a mop.
‘Get up on the sofa!’ Tears fill up the room.
Father’s soaking up the flood … with a towel and broom.

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

Then baby’s gliding past upon a silver tray.
‘Quick, your little brother. Before he floats away!’
We wade into the kitchen and open up the door,
are swept into the garden as tears begin to pour.

🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴

Soon the garden disappears. We climb into a tree.
My father’s on his mobile. He’s dialling help for me.
A police boat rounds the corner, passes by our slide,
in it sits three gentlemen. ‘The Prime Minister’s inside!’

πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄πŸ‘΄

‘Now, look here little baby, these tears have got to end!’
My brother just cries louder, their boat swept round the bend.
Mother wrings her hands while father rings the Queen.
She’s winched down from a copter. She has a jellybean.

πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘πŸ‘‘

‘Now look here little baby, I have a treat for you.’
My brother pauses, takes a breath, considers what to do.
A jellybean, sweet shiny red, sits in the royal hand.

My baby brother smiles and there’s applause throughout the land.

πŸ‘πŸΌπŸ‘πŸΌπŸ‘πŸΌπŸ‘πŸΌπŸ‘πŸΌπŸ‘πŸΌπŸ‘πŸΌπŸ‘πŸΌπŸ‘πŸΏπŸ‘πŸΏπŸ‘πŸΏπŸ‘πŸΏπŸ‘πŸΏπŸ‘πŸΏπŸ‘πŸΏπŸ‘πŸΏπŸ‘πŸΏπŸ‘πŸΏπŸ‘πŸΏπŸ‘πŸΏ

Now, each year, come jellybeans, flown across the sea.

‘With fond regards, I send this gift.’

Signed Her Majesty!

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141 thoughts on “Cry Baby!

  1. Hi Alys
    This poem was hilarious πŸ˜‚πŸ€£πŸ˜…πŸ˜‚πŸ€£it made me laugh out loud did he flood the whole town πŸ˜†πŸ˜πŸ˜„πŸ˜ƒπŸ˜€someone probably fainted cause of the noise ☠️🀯 who knowsπŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ

    • HE, HE! I’m glad to hear that this poem made you laugh out loud, Vinuk! It took ages to finish this poem. It certainly is very silly. My daughter cried a lot when she was a baby but thankfully grew out of it as she got older. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I think that’s why I wrote this poem. I will never forget the NOISE she made… Alys

    • Thanks Tenara, I don’t think it’s flooded the world!! 🌊🌊🌊🌊🀣

  2. Hi Alys
    when would the baby stop crying? I also liked this poem because it remind me of my baby cousin

    • Dear Lithumi, I hope that your baby cousin doesn’t flood the house with tears! Glad you liked it. Poems are such fun to write. Alys πŸ˜ƒ

  3. Hi Alys

    I like when the baby made a flood because it make me imagin that your sailing on the sea and I like your description of the baby.

    Good Job

    Ranulaka

    • I’m glad you liked the description of the baby, Ranulaka. I’m not sure that this poem started or ended the way I intended, but that is exactly what makes writing so much fun. You can change what happens as you write!! Alys 😊

  4. Hi Alys I loved the poem it reminded me of my brother he cry’s for everything including lollysπŸ™‚πŸ˜Š

    • Oh no! I do hope your brother stops crying soon, Yehanya. Or maybe my poem WILL come true πŸ˜‚πŸ˜₯😡 Alys

  5. dear alys,
    this is the poem about the time i spilt my mlik.

    I spilt my milk today I don’t know what to do? I would not stop crying it was like a noisy zoo. mum heard me and came to see what’s wrong. It looked like I was running from a noisy GONG!!! I was so frightened I didn’t no what to do. better luck next time I was in a big issue.
    irath

    • That’s a great poem Tirath. I love your use of rhyme and rhythm. I could picture everything that was happening, all the noise and running around and you so very upset and in a panic!! I do hope your mum was able to clear up the mess. It sounds like it went everywhere πŸ˜–πŸ˜ You should write more poetry!! Alys

  6. Hi Alys,
    I enjoyed reading this poem. It was fun. I wonder how you thought about this idea and how long did it take to write this poem ?

    • Hi Ishrit. I’m afraid I can’t remember how long it took me to write. My poems can take a couple of weeks to a few months to write. Some take me longer – especially the endings. The idea was easy. I have two children who both loved to cry as babies. Boy do I wish I’d had magic jelly beans!! Alys

  7. I think the poem was very good, its just kind of weird how a baby could cry a flood. If I could change one thing it would be to
    give the baby a chocolate instead of a jellybean.

    • Great idea Archie. I think I would definitely prefer chocolate to jellybeans. And I completely agree that ‘crying a flood’ is an extremely weird idea!! I think I must have a very silly imagination πŸ˜†πŸ˜† Alys

  8. Hi Alys ,

    I like this poem , actually this is a different & creative idea . I agreed with you all babies πŸ‘Ά crying so loudly 😒

  9. HI Alys , it was great but it would be scary if it was a true. I think the baby should hold a world record. It IS THE BEST.

    • Thank you Japleen! Would be a little scary if it was true, wouldn’t it? Thannnnk goodness it’s not. Alys πŸ™‚

    • Great question Nuwin. I don’t have a particular baby in mind for this poem. Thank goodness!! It would be terrible if it was true πŸ™‚ Alys

  10. I have two baby siblings and they cry a lot . I like the rhyming in the poem because it is a nice poem.

    • TWO baby siblings who cry! Wow, Yuneth. I hope they don’t keep you awake at night :). I’m glad you like the rhyming in the poem. Alys

  11. I liked how the queen came and had a jellybean, because I want to see the queen one day.
    It inspired me because I want to be an author or a poetry person.
    I loved this poem.
    – Maggie (9yrs)

    • I love your comments Maggie, and I really hope you get to meet the Queen one day. And good luck with your poetry and writing. It’s a wonderful thing to create stories from your own imagination. It’s even better to see them come to life with illustrations πŸ™‚ Alys PS: sorry this is such a late reply. I have the flu!

  12. Hi Alys,
    I like this poem because it makes me think about how cute babies are even when they cry and make a lot of noise
    From Cadence

    • Thank you Cadence. That’s a very good point. Babies are very cute and noisy πŸ™‚ Bye Alys

  13. Hi Alys! I really liked this poem because it was very funny. It kind of reminds me of how whenever I call my friend, I can hear her baby brother crying in the background! The poem made me feel a bit sad because I never like it when anyone cries.

    -Mihaela

    • Your poor friend Mihaela – I hope her baby brother doesn’t cry ALL the time πŸ™‚ I’m pleased you found the poem funny even if you do feel sad when people cry! Bye Alys

  14. Hi Alys I really love your poem. You have used a lot of rhyming words in it. My sister cries a lot which is really annoying like in your poem. From Chethi

    • Thank you for your comments Chethya. Yes, I have used lots of rhyming words which was great fun to do. Bye Alys

    • Oh dear, your poor family! I hope your sister doesn’t flood out the street πŸ™‚ Maybe you should buy some jellybeans just in case!! Bye Alys

  15. I liked the way it rhymed and I found it funny, if this was real we need a lot of boats and jellybeans to stop all the babies cyring

    • Very true Miabella-Rose πŸ™‚ I don’t think there are enough jellybeans in the whole wide world to stop all the babies from crying!!!! Bye Alys

  16. Hi Alys,
    My name is Mia I am 9 years old
    wow! I feel like my sister cry’s a lot to and I liked that you made it funny. Bye Alys

    • Hi Mia – thank you for your comments and I hope that your sister doesn’t cry as much as the baby in the poem πŸ™‚ Bye Alys

      • Hi again Mia. It’s nice to know that you like the poem and I hope that you get to go outside πŸ™‚ Bye Alys

  17. Hi Alys,
    After I read your poem, I asked my Mum whether I cried when I was little. She said β€œyes”.
    I think baby stopped crying not because of the jellybean but he likes Red. If it is not red he is still crying.

    Bye
    Dinidu

    • Hi Dinidu. I think that most babies cry a lot when they are young. I really like your idea that the baby stopped crying because he likes red – I think you might be right πŸ™‚ I wonder which is your favourite colour? Bye Alys

  18. Hi Alys
    Your poem made me laugh but I did not cry
    I think maybe instead of the queen coming and stopping the baby from crying maybe you could have included a clown or a trapezium to make the baby stop crying by showing different acts that they know. Your poem was really good but maybe instead of a jellybean they give the baby a sticker.

    • Hi Yenuli. You have given me some great ideas here. Clowns and trapeziums? Now that would be fun to write. Although I’d have trouble rhyming with trapezium? And stickers are a wonderful idea! All children love stickers, don’t they? I think that YOU should write some poems…I’d love to read them…Bye Alys

  19. Hi Alys,
    This poem reminded me of the time I spilt my milk when I was small & how I got scolded by my mother. I am the little brother at home who usually does not cry. I liked when the queen gave the little baby brother a jellybean. If I can change anything it would be instead of baby brother, a baby sister crying.
    A different ending would be a funny elephant came and made baby laugh.

    • Wow Tirath you make so many wonderful comments. And I love your different endings. A funny elephant would be a very cool way to finish this poem. I think you should try writing it!! And how about a poem about the time you spilt the milk? That would be cool, too. Bye Alys

  20. i thought this was a very funny poem it made me laugh so hard i stared crying lol. I LOVE JELLYBEANS SO MUCH.

    • Hi Fleur. Your comments made ME laugh. I’m very happy that the poem made you laugh so hard that you started crying πŸ™‚ And I love jellybeans too. Although I think I love chocolates more… Bye Alys

    • Thanks Zayne. It’s nice to know that this poem made you laugh. And well, who doesn’t love jellybeans? Yum πŸ™‚ Bye Alys

  21. There was definitely a lot of exaggeration in this poem and I liked the rhyming you used in every line. I have a brother and I’m glad that he didn’t flood the house with tears when he was small. πŸ‘Ά

    • Your comments made me chuckle Chomilka πŸ™‚ I am also very glad that your brother didn’t flood the house with tears. Wouldn’t that be something to hear on the late news?!! And I’m glad you liked the rhyming and the very silly exaggeration in this poem.

    • Hello again Thenumi. Love your comments. I don’t really think a baby brother or sister would flood your house πŸ™‚ But it is a fun idea, isn’t it? Bye Alys

  22. Hi Aiys, I love the poem because I also have a baby brother and it is exactly describe him

    • Goodness me, I hope your baby brother doesn’t flood your house with tears!!! πŸ™‚ Bye Alys

  23. Hi Aiys, I love the poem because I also have a baby brother. I love the meaning and added creativity which makes me smile at the end.

  24. Hi ,
    I like this poem , actually this is a different & creative idea . I agreed with you all babies πŸ‘Ά crying so loudly 😒

    • Thank you Methuli. I’m glad you agree because babies really do cry a lot!! My two certainly did…:) Bye Alys

  25. Hi Alys Jackson
    I really liked your poem, I know a crying baby would be annoying because I have a little brother and he is cute and annoying.

    • Hi Tharinsa, thank you for your comments. Crying babies can be soooo loud, can’t they?! I’m sure your cute baby brother will stop one day… I hope! πŸ™‚ Bye Alys

  26. the poem suggests to me that there is a flood yet could this be a play on words and the poem is about trying to settle the baby

  27. Hi Madison, when I’ve read your poem it was the best one I’ve ever read out of all these poems. And I also have 2 small brothers that also cries, it drives me crazy. Hahah

    • Hi Zaynab. You have 2 brothers that drive you crazy?? Poor you. I’m glad you liked the poem πŸ™‚

  28. Hi Alys ,my parents told me that that I cried a lot when l was a babyπŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸΌπŸΌπŸΌπŸΌπŸΆπŸΆπŸΆπŸΆ

    • Hi Natasha, I think every baby cries a lot! PS: I love all your emojis. And sorry this raply was so late. Everyone in my house is sick!! Bye Alys πŸ™‚

  29. Hi Alys yes it must sound very very annoying this is a question for you do you have a younger brother ?

    • Hi again Natalee. No, I don’t have a younger brother, but I do have two older sisters who were lots of fun. I wonder if you have a younger brother? Bye Alys

    • Hi Emily, it does sound real but I’m glad it isn’t!! Wow, I hope your brother doesn’t flood your house. πŸ™‚ Alys

  30. Hi my name is Ashton B I am 7 years old. I thought your poem was funny, I liked it because I thought the baby was cute. I think he was crying because he had a tooth coming through. πŸ™‚

    • Hi Ashton, I’m so glad you thought my poem was funny. I think you must know babies very well because they do usually cry when their teeth come through!! πŸ™‚ Bye Alys

  31. Hi Alys
    My grandma read me Baby Won’t Stop Crying. I loved it. I thought it was very funny and I liked it when the queen gave him a jellybean and he stopped crying. I think he was crying because a tooth was coming through.
    Ashton B

    • Hi again Ashton, I’ve just spotted this message!! Please say a big thank you to your grandma for reading to you πŸ™‚ And I love your comments πŸ™‚ Bye again, Alys

  32. Wow never have read a poem like this it cheered up my day more thanks so much love it.Wroughtiron08

    • Hi Wroughtiron08, thank you for letting me know that my poem cheered up your day! πŸ™‚ Bye, Alys

  33. Ha Alys jackson its Tameka Howard again i really liked the last poem so i read another one it was great and made me smile from Tameka πŸΌπŸΌπŸΌπŸΌπŸΌπŸ˜€

    • Thank you Tameka! I’m so happy to know that you enjoyed reading my poetry Bye Alys πŸ™‚ Isn’t is great when poems make us smile?!

  34. I liked the rhymes. I liked when the Queen came down from a copter and had a jellybean in her hands and she gave it to the baby. The baby stopped crying. I wonder why the baby was cryingο€Ώ May be the baby was hungry or may be the baby was sleepyο€Ώ

    • Some really great comments Linuka. I really hadn’t thought about why the baby was crying but I love your ideas. I think we should go with hungry. My two children used to howl when they were hungry – but don’t tell them I said that :). Bye, Alys

  35. Two years ago my baby cousin was born and every time i got to hold him he would start crying. Then the next year he got a baby sister and every time i held her she would not cry.

    • Hi Emma, I wonder why some babies cry and others don’t? Hmmm, I’m not sure. Thank you for reading the poem and it’s interesting to hear all your comments πŸ™‚ Bye, Alys

  36. i have 2 brothers.
    Roan is 2 and Jensen is almost 1.
    They cry alot but im glad that their tears dont flood our house or our town.

    • Hi Mya. Thank you for your wonderful comments. My goodness, I am so glad your brothers haven’t flooded your house! I am sorry I have taken so long to reply to you – I was on holiday πŸ™‚ Bye, Alys

    • Thanks Brandy. I’m happy you thought the poem was funny, and I hope your little sister doesn’t flood your house with tears πŸ™‚ Bye Alys

  37. That is very cool inspiration πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘
    Well i am going to bed now so good nightπŸŒ–πŸŒ–πŸŒ–

  38. So what were you doing when you where inspired to right this poem??
    Can you remember what year you wrote the story in??
    Love PaigeπŸ˜ŽπŸ˜πŸ˜‰πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸŒ

    • Hi Paige, Very good questions. I think I must have written it when my children were young and crying a lot πŸ™‚ I’m not sure what year it was but at least 6 years ago. Bye, Alys

    • Hi Dakotah, thank you for your comment. I’m afraid babies do cry a lot. That’s why I decided to write the poem πŸ™‚ Bye Alys

  39. I liked how it was about babies in fact I even have a little brother. He is very cute he only cries when he’s unhappy,he’s done a poo,doesn’t want something ,he’s hurt himself or he’s just annoyed or something like that. His name is Max he’s happy most of the time and I agree with you some babies do cry a lot and thought it was funny because you said that the baby made a flood by crying it would have to do a lot of crying for that to happen.

    • Hi Ella, thank you for your comments and for telling me all about your brother Max. I’m glad that he’s happy most of the time. It would be sad if he cried as much as the baby in my poem!! I wouldn’t want him to flood your house. That would be a disaster :). Bye Alys

    • Hi Stephanie, thank you for reading the poem and for sending me so many comments πŸ™‚ Bye Alys

    • Hi again Camila, thank you for your comment and for letting me know that made you feel happy. πŸ™‚ Bye Alys

  40. This poem is so πŸ˜† and I like it so much.And the pitcher is so funny. But The Best thing is the rhyming.😜😏

    • Hi Hayden, thank you for your comments. Rhyming is such fun, isn’t it? I’m happy you like the picture, too. Bye Alys

    • Hi Emma, Yes, the photo was real but NOT a flood of tears! Thank goodness. I have written soo many poems and stories that I can’t answer how many. Lots!! Bye Alys. Great questions.

  41. This was a really silly poem. The flood was the best part because it was super silly.
    I like jellybeans like the baby.

    • Hi Jack. A very silly poem – I agree. And I also love jellybeans. Thank you for your comments. Bye Alys

  42. The part of the poem I thought was funny was when the baby made a flood. when I read the poem I was laughing. A different ending is the baby went to bed and fell asleep.

    • Hi James, thank you for your comments, and I’m happy that the poem made you laugh. By the way, I really like your alternative ending. πŸ™‚ Bye Alys

  43. Hi my name is Ella and I read this wonderful poem. I would give it 10/10 stars for creativity and for being funny. Thanks for writing this wow! poem it really lit up my day.

    • Hi Ella, I’m so glad you liked the poem. 10/10 is an amazing score. Thank you πŸ™‚ Bye Alys

  44. Hi Alys,
    I liked this poem because it rhymes really well. I also like it because this is exactly like my sister at night, she cries until someone actually gets up and gets her, its annoying!

    Thanks for the poem
    Ella πŸ™‚

    • Hi Ella, I’m very happy that you enjoyed this poem, but I’m sorry to hear that your sister cries at night. I’m sure she’ll stop when she gets older πŸ™‚ Bye Alys

  45. Hi Alys, i liked that poem because it was silly. I have a baby brother and im lucky because he doesn’t really cry that much!
    From Leah πŸ™‚

    • Hi Heather. I agree. This poem is indeed very, very silly. By the way, you are lucky to have a baby brother who doesn’t cry much!! Bye Alys

  46. HI!!! I don’t really cry that much and nether does my brother. But I have a few questions to ask.
    What was the baby’s name?
    Which country did they live in?
    How long did it take for the baby to fill up the house?
    How does the queen deliver jellybeans without fish eating them?
    Thanks!!!Sincerely Jameson. P.S if you haven’t already check your short story for me..

    • Hi Jameson, Hmm some really great questions!! If I think about it the baby should be called Debbie (my sister) because she cried a lot! The country definitely has to be Australia, and the house had to fill up really quickly for them to get trapped – minutes maybe! I’m afraid you’ll have to ask the Queen for the answer to the last question πŸ™‚ Great questions. Thanks Alys

  47. I really liked this poem it reminds me of my cousin Hawke. He cries all time, but not enough for us to float away. thanks Maddison

    • Hi Maddison, thank you for your comments. I’m glad that you haven’t floated away on Hawke’s tears πŸ™‚ Yet!! Alys

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