Sometimes I run and drip,
sometimes I’m still and cloudy.
You may have seen me with a bear.
I wish I could fly
like those who made me.
I’m the only comb
you mustn’t put in your hair.
What am I?
This riddle is intended for 5-10 yr olds, so shouldn't be too tricky!
More riddle poems, written for Tescos as part of my Warwick Poet Laureateship, here.
11 comments:
I'm afraid I haven't got a clue what number 4 is all about! These are great, what a woman of many talents!
Ooo honey - I love riddles
Oh dear, Sorlil. No idea at all?
I do sympathise. I'm actually rubbish at solving riddles myself. I can't do anagrams either, or not unless they're ridiculously easy. My mind simply doesn't work like that. One of the reasons I suggested doing these - for yes, 'twas my own idea, no one forced me to do these poems as riddles - was to challenge myself to 'make' some riddles myself, in the hope that it would improve my riddle-solving abilities.
But it hasn't. Not so far, anyway.
However, it was rather fun to write these and test them on my husband and kids. If it's any consolation, Sorlil, my husband couldn't solve several of these. But my four year old got them all more or less straightaway!
I cant do four either! A banana? A pitta-bread?
How can a banana also be a tin? You were much closer with pitta-bread. That, at least, is a pocket. Hot, hot, hot!!!
That's one of the riddles that can have equally acceptable alternative answers though, so it probably is a tough one. The big stumbling-block for most people seems to be my reference to a coat. If I admit that it's not part of the original food, but is one type of possible packaging, does that help?!
Lol.
I was wildly excited when I thought I had the answer. I've never been much of a riddler.
Still no... :|
I'm not very good at writing solvable riddles, am I?
Okay, the main answer I had in mind was the other thing, along with public entertainment, famously to be given to the populace to keep 'em from rising up.
Any closer?
In all its forms, that is. Not just the obvious.
Bread and circuses...duh! The jacket didn't help but of course it's all very obvious now! lol
Sorry!
I could rewrite it without the coat at the end, but then I think it would be TOO easy. I did wrestle with that image, interestingly enough, and knew it was the central problem in that riddle.
But my instinct there was to keep the harder riddling part of the poem, to obscure the matter just enough to ensure you couldn't solve it straight off.
In riddle poems, I've found, there's quite a fine line between easy and impossible. I'm concerned by the possibility that number 4 may be misleading, but it's still nice to know that they weren't all instantly transparent!
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