As part of the Carry a Poem campaign the Scottish Centre for the Book at Edinburgh Napier University ran a competition for all Edinburgh primary schools.

The competition received over 550 submissions, in two age catagories, and the winners were announced at a special exhibition and party at Craighouse Campus on 5th March 2010 – view the video of the event.

You can view more of the wonderful Picture the Poem submissions, and you can read the poems that some of the pupils created, in response to Diana Hendry’s specially commissioned Carry a Poem.

Edinburgh Napier University ran a special Picture the Poem competition, asking Primary School children in Edinburgh to draw how they carry their favourite poem.

A number of pupils from Gilmerton Primary were inspired to write their own poems too! Napier put together a booklet of their entries – here’s a selection from that publication.

From Calum:

How to Carry a Poem

You can stuff it up your jumper

You can hide it on a plane

You can put it in your hat

Or hide it under mat

You can put it in your gloves

You can hide it in your scarf

You can make it a paper boat

And maybe even an ark

You could write it in a card

Or send it to a friend

You could recite it in your head

Carry it everywhere and it will never end.

You could carry a poem anywhere

Even on a train, now carry a poem everywhere

So it will never end

From Jade:

Carry a Poem

You can tatoo it on your hand
You can put it in your bag
You can put it in a box and on your arm
You can put it in your pocet or a shoe

You can eat it, stik it to your tung
Or put it in your gum and chew on it
or you can put it on your thum

You can put it in your pillowcase
or your sootcase
or a martras
or a biscat.

From Lauren:

Carry a poem

You can put it in your sock
You can put it in your bag
You can put it in you hair
You can put it in your pocket

You can put it up your sleeve
You can put it in your purse
You can put it in your shoe
You can stick it to your hat

You can write it on your arm
You can put it in your bed
You can stick it in your leg
Or you can recite it in your head

From Megan:

How to carry a poem

You can put it in your car
You can put it in your bag
You can put it in your hair
Or in an old rag

You can write it on your hand
You can put it on your stookie
You can burrie it in the sand
Or in a fortune cookie

You can make it into an ice cube
Or swallow it whole
You can put it in your pocket or give it to a mole

From Catherine:

Carry a Poem

You can shove it in your handbag
beside all my gloss
You can bury it in the garden
under all the moss

You can text it on your mobile
or put it in the dogs mouth
or post it in a package
all the way down south

You can give it to the mouse
or hide it in your house
you can squash it in the toothpaste tube
or fold it in a square cube

You can fold it into a box
or disguise it a chicken pox
You can origami it into food
so so so you could

From Josh:

How to carry a poem

You can stick it in your ear
You can stick it up your nose
You can put it in a balloon
Or put it in a bottle
You can rap it round your tooth
Or stick it down your dungrees
You can stick it in your pencil case
Or rap it round your neck and wear it like a scarf
Swallow it and poo it out
(make sure to hold your nose next time you read it)

From Thomas:

How to carry a poem

You can carry it
You can give it a name
You can crunch it up, what a shame

Or you can put in your wallet and purse or you could call a nurse!
You can give it to you mum, then slap it on her bum
You can put it in your pocket then play amazing bop it

You can put it in your shock, then take it around the block
You can put in on your tray, then go out and play
Were ever you go some were your poem will be there.

From Matthew:

How to carry a poem

Flip it up fold it round.
Put it in your pocket
stick it down your trousers
Put it in your bag
Tattoo it to your arm
Or glue it to your face

Put it in your mouth
Write it on your arm
Make a paper airaplane
Stick it up your trouser leg
Put it down your jumper
Stick it in your hood
Put it on your running machine
Put it down your top hold it up and run
Staple it to your ankle
Put it in your toaster and make it nice and crispy!