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.

Cockatoo Clown

Looking breathless to the sky, I see a high trapeze,
for cockatoos are clownish acrobats.
Upon a summer’s breeze, they swing with practiced ease,
alighting just to raise their yellow hats.

Death defying in their flying, their act electrifying,
they begin to sing a raucous lullaby.
It’s too much for my mother when they start to sing another,
and she turns to kiss her friend a quick goodbye.

Then, as we pull away, with a backward glance I say,
“I’ll never see a circus act as good as yours today!”

80 thoughts on “Cockatoo Clown”

  1. Hi Alys
    I really liked your poem and I thought it would be very Funny
    because I would love to see cockatoos doing funny stuff like acrobats I also see them high up in a tree when going to school anyways I liked your poem!
    Omesh

    • Thank you Omesh. So sorry it took me this long to reply!! I love that you see cockatoos while you are going to school. That must be lots of fun. They are such great characters to watch as they play.🐔🐤🐦😊 Alys

    • I think that cockatoos really are very intelligent. And they play around just like we do. It’s so much fun watching them. Alys 😊

    • Yes, I tried to use as many words to describe cockatoos as I could. They are such clowns! Alys 😊

  5. Hi Alys,

    There has been a great use of personification throughout this poem and is quite a fun one to read. I love birds and therefore this poem would definitely be one of my favourites. Through your personification, you have been able to incorporate a lot of description in your writing which has really enhanced the beauty of the cockatoo.

    Great piece of writing!
    Chomilka

    • That’s a great comment Chomilka. It’s always fun to use personification in poetry and cockatoos behave in ways which are so similar to us! I watch them playing in the trees sometimes. They really do clown around. I’m so glad you enjoyed the poem!! Alys 🐥🐤🐥🐥😊

  6. hi Alys
    I loved it very much and I like the cockatoos.
    I will change the cockatoos from being clowns to cooks.
    my different end are the cockatoos cooking food for their family .

    • I like the way you think, Yuneth. Changing cockatoos into cooks would be really fun to do. They have the perfect hats!! I wonder what kind of food they’d cook???? Alys

  7. Hi Alys,
    It was a nice poem and it reminded me of my cousin who got bitten by a cockatoo while having fun with him at a wildlife park.

    • Hi Ishrit. Your poor cousin! I hope that the bite wasn’t too serious. 🐥🐤 I’m so pleased you liked the poem. Alys

  8. Hi Alys
    I enjoy that story very much.It reminded me of a time I was playing tennis and when hit the ball a cockatoo went around it like acrobat.

    • That must have been funny to see the cockatoo go around the ball! They can be such playful creatures, can’t they? Great comments, Thinara and I’m glad you enjoyed the poem. Alys 🐤🐥

  9. Hi Alys, I liked this poem. Cockatoos are amazing birds because they can learn simple words and phrases. If I had a pet cockatoo I think it would be annoying if it copied everything I said. It’s really surprising to now that cockatoos are circus performers (I didn’t know that) very interesting 🙂

    • Thank you Japleen. Cockatoos are such fun to watch when they play, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard one speak. I’ll have to check that out! Alys 🙂

  10. Hi Alys,
    I like the way you described the cockatoo fly. It’s like circus tricks.
    it made me feel happy, but sad that the mother turned away.
    Maybe you could add more action by letting the cockatoos spin and create some magic or rain. And to give it a different ending, the mother bird might return?

    • Well spotted Mareike! I wrote the poem because cockatoos are really like circus performers. They are such fun to watch. I love your ideas, too. 🙂 Alys

    • Yes Nuwin, I’m not sure if many other animals do acrobatics – different monkeys perhaps 🙂 Alys

  16. Hi Alys
    I really enjoyed poem. I think I might give you an A grade. I think for an alternative ending maybe one parrot comes home with girl. There is a little magpie that comes and always knocks on the door when we are here we find it very annoying.
    Yenuli

  17. Hi Alys,
    This poem reminds me of one of my best friends who is an expert about birds. Cockatoos usually comes to my school (CBC) trees and very interesting to watch.
    Instead of putting to the end, the girl saying this is the best clown bird she has seen, she could have said that it was too funny to be seen.

    • Hi again Tirath. Isn’t it interesting how poems remind us about people? You’re very lucky to have a friend who is a bird expert. Birds are so amazing, and I would have so many questions for your friend. I love your alternative ending, too. 🙂 Bye Alys

    • Ditto re. the scary clowns. Although clowns are usually very funny, and very nice underneath all that scary makeup! PS: I’m pleased that you found the poem cool. Bye again Alys

  19. When i would go out hiking with my family, I would always see cockatoos flying around screeching. I also liked the use of personification in this poem.

    • They can be such noisy birds, can’t they? And such fun to see them in the wild. I’m glad you liked the use of personification. It’s always nice to make those connections between animals and humans. We are, after all, so closely related. 🙂 Bye Alys

  20. wow beautiful words and and new idea. we should keep close eye and see how they behave as sometime they are very strange

    • I agree. Cockatoos are such wonderful birds and it’s always fun to watch them – and any animal – I’m so pleased you liked the poem. Bye Alys

  21. I really like the end and the part you mentioned about the yellow hats. It is very ironical. It makes me feel like laughing. I have once had cockatoos on our shed, they were very loud. Thisali 😉

    • Hi again Thisali. Cockatoos really are funny birds, aren’t they? And I love the way they can raise and lower their yellow crests. I think it would be wonderful to have cockatoos on my shed – but very, very noisy. Bye Alys

  22. Hey again its me, Liked the poem. It ways really good. My favorite part was the yellow hats. That was funny. would do a poem about dogs. They are so cool and cute. I love dogs and they my favorite animal. Love always Lexi

    • Hi again Lexi. Maybe you could try writing a poem about dogs. That would be fun to read. I’m glad you liked the poem. Bye Alys 🙂

    • That’s a very interesting comment Natalee because I hadn’t really thought of this poem as a story but I guess it is. Bye Alys

  24. hello Alys I really enjoyed the poem alot 😉 cockatoos are very loud,
    l often see them in the trees outside the windows at school.

    bye
    Rosa! 🙂 🙂

    • Hi Rosa, I’m so glad you liked the poem. Cockatoos are so noisy, aren’t they? It must be nice to see them while you’re at school. Bye Alys 🙂

    • Hi Jacinta, what a lovely thing to say 🙂 I will definitely try to ‘keep up the good work’!!!! Bye Alys

  26. at are old house we had lotsss of cockatoos and in the morning they were really loud.

    we also had this big tree that they always hung around in. 🙂 🙂

    • Hi Emma, thank you for telling me about the cockatoos. I agree that they can be sooo loud in the mornings! Sometimes they come to our garden and sit on my washing line! 🙂 Bye Alys

  27. Hi Alys

    This poem is great, you should make some more.
    I like cockatoos yellow crests, they look like weird shaped party hats.

    PS Keep up the awesome work.
    PPS Please make some more poems they are the best poems I’ve ever heard for a very very long time.

    Bye

    • Hi Flynn, thanks for the comments. I agree with you about the cockatoos’ yellow crests! PS: I will definitely write some more poems soon 🙂 Bye Alys

  28. They are loud animals aren’t they. They are sometimes are a bit silly there always being merry I liked this poem and my little brother would to if he could understand it because he loves and animals.

    • Hi Ella. Cockatoos certainly can be very loud; I agree. They sometimes sit on our washing line and shout at each other – which scares our poor cat. By the way, I’m sure your brother will understand the poem one day. Bye Alys.

    • Hi Jude, they really are very noisy, aren’t they! 🙂 Thank you for your comments, and I’m glad you like their yellow hats. Bye Alys

  32. I know these birds love to squawk and play high in the sky. I have seen this circus at Goolwa river a lot and they are very noisy.

    • Hi Jack, I’m so glad you have seen cockatoos playing. They are such lovely birds. Thank you for your comments, bye Alys

  33. I am Aboriginal and the language name for cockatoos is Giggum. I love them and think of my ancestors whenever I see them flying over.

    • Hi Tulara – Thank you for telling me the Aboriginal name. I think your culture, stories and languages are amazing!! I am glad that you think of your ancestors when you see them flying. I shall do the same. 🙂 Bye Alys

  34. It was amazing because you never see cockatoos do that and it is just so funny to picture in your head.😅

    • Hi Abbey, I’m happy that you could picture the cockatoos in your head – I hope they didn’t give you a headache :). Bye Alys

  35. Hi my name is Mia and I am 7 years old. I liked the poem because it was good and I enjoyed reading it.

    • Hi Mia, I’m very pleased that you enjoyed reading Cockatoo Clown. They certainly are very funny birds 🙂 Bye Alys

  36. Hello again 😊 My favourite part was the “Death defying in their flying, their act electrifying” it sounds so cool.
    My favourite kinds of poems are the ones that have really cool rhyming words.
    Thanks again
    Leah ☺

    • Hi Heather, I’m so pleased that you enjoy poems with cool rhyming words because they are so much fun to write. Thank you for your comments. Bye Alys

  37. Hi i’m Jack (10yrs) and I loved the poem because cockatoos are funny and my grandpa had one. And its really catchy and funny to read.

    • Hi Jack, I’m so glad that you thought the poem was catchy, and I agree that cockatoos are very funny birds. It’s wonderful to know that your grandpa had one! How lucky. Alys

    • Hi Kelsey, I’m glad you liked it. Don’t you think that cockatoos are amazing birds? I do. Alys

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