Since the start of this term we have been looking at the poetry of Charles Causley. Last week, the class produced some excellent homework where they researched the life of Causley. This week, the children have been looking carefully at one of Causley’s greatest poems – Timothy Winters.
The poem paints a grim picture of a boy who has been neglected, and the struggles he faces in life. As a class we identified all of the problems that Timothy encountered and used this to inspiration to write our own additional stanzas. Below, you will find the original poem, then some examples from Rowan Class children.
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Timothy Winters
Timothy Winters is rather confused
Of why he is always being abused.
His Grandma and father are always drunk
Which makes Timothy Winters smell like a skunk.
His feet are like blocks of shiny ice,
And his poor house is filled with mice.
He’s like a waterfall, crying, crying
And deep inside he knows he is dying.
Timothy’s house is always cold.
The small bits of food are covered in mould.
At school he would always sneak in and steal,
He has never had a decent meal.
When he gets home, he looks for a drink,
But can only find drips in the kitchen sink.
He always has to go to bed,
With bloody feet and an aching head.
On the next morning he goes to church,
And waits behind a silver birch.
He walks in, trying not to think
Of when he gets home what he has to drink.
By Lois L
Timothy Winters
His dad and grandma are always drunk,
So he smells just like a skunk.
Sometimes it looks like he is confused,
It’s probably because he’s always abused.
When he was younger he always was crying,
Inside it looks like he is secretly dying.
Timothy Winters sits in the cold ,
Watching the sink get clogged up with mould.
Sometimes he thinks about going out to steal;
Just so he can have a decent meal.
His abusive father always drinks ;
Instead of fixing the kitchen sink.
He dreams for a better day,
But that’s easier to dream than to say.
People say he has the flu ,
But I doubt that that is true.
To him people are always mean,
Even when he tries not to be seen.
So to Timothy Winters we will pray,
No matter what other people say.
Euan
Timothy Winters
When Timothy is home there is nothing to drink,
Just drips of water coming from the kitchen sink.
Timothy Winters is secretly crying,
Deep inside he knows he is dying.
When he’s at school, he doesn’t want to be seen,
All the children there are rude and mean.
Timothy Winters is always confused,
Timothy Winters is constantly abused.
Sometimes, because of the lack of his meals,
Timothy Winters has to steal.
Timothy’s house is cold as ice,
His home is filled with rats and mice.
Timothy’s father is always drunk,
He never bathes and smells like a skunk.
The bread he eats is stale and cold,
It’s crunchy and disgusting with splodges of mould.
Old Man Winters misses Timothy’s mother,
But Timothy Winters doesn’t bother.
Timothy Winters is awfully shy,
Sometimes he wishes he could just die.
Mimi
Liss: Year 6 