Rhythm setter

Rose Edmondson

Deep red
Machine pumper
Oxygen sender
Thud, thud.

Vein supplier
Waste remover
Current maker
Swoosh, swoosh.

Life giver
Head ruler
Muscle squeezer
Lub, lub.

Rhythm setter
Aging driver
Time provider
Tick, tock.

The Science

This poem was originally composed as part of celebrations for National Poetry Day 2020 and was used as inspiration for her science classes. The idea for the kenning poem came from Dom Conlon’s book This Rock, That Rock and the poem titled ‘What am I?’. As we were studying organ systems of the body at the time, the heart inspired me to write the poem - it sets the rhythm for the rest of your body - everyone is reliant on it and I wanted to play with the rhythm of the poem itself to mimic the sounds of this incredible organ.

The Poet

Rose Edmondson is a science teacher and avid reader of books. She currently resides in Lancashire and in between her planning and preparation for teaching she adores nothing more than sitting at her sewing machine, picking up some crochet or penning another poem. Rose has had several of her poems posted in small publications and has written articles for education publications about science in primary teaching.

Next poem: Satellite by Julia Rose Lewis