I wrote this poem for my son’s class as this year they celebrated World Book Day as pirates.

I remembered reading some advice a while ago about writing poems. It said that there are lots of poems about pirates (and that’s true!) – so how do you make yours different?

One way to do that is to think about the traditional traits associated with pirates and then turn them on their head. What would a poem about a worried or nervous pirate be like? Perhaps you could write one about a pirate who rescues people, instead of threatening them. Taking a character stereotype and reversing it is great fun to explore with poetry.

I wanted the surprise in my poem to come at the end – when we hear that the pirate is actually the ship’s parrot. But you might reveal your surprise earlier.

Have a go at writing a poem about a character with a surprising twist. Perhaps a Dinosaur who is really good at saving people (instead of eating them!) or a fairy who likes to bring bad luck, instead of making wishes come true. Have fun!