FOR Promptly Poetry Challenge (2023-24)

PUMPKIN - 56 LINES

It was called 'Little Science'
Meant for primary teachers
Interesting projects with
Nature - plants and creatures

Yours truly, a new journalist
Filled with excitement
'Covering' the workshop for
The Education Supplement.

Armed with camera,
pencil and notebook
Capturing every explanation
Every gesture, every look.

Clicking away, scribbling away
Thank goodness for technology!
Those videos and pictures only
with digital photography!

Thinking of the article
That would shoot her to fame
She'd report it so well
Everyone would quote her name!

The headline had to be catchy
It had to hook the editor
and, once published
Grab the interest of the reader.

She watched, she listened
She took copious notes
Interesting facts and figures
and some anecdotes.

Aha! A bucket full of water
Now what would happen?
Her camera poised, ready
To frame all the fun.

Fruits and vegetables
And teachers had to guess
if each would FLOAT or SINK
(and make quite a mess! )

To everyone's surprise
The little lime sank
So did the pear
Fruits, playing a prank!

Then it was the pumpkin's turn
"It shall surely sink!"
But once in the bucket -
What do you think?

THE PUMPKIN FLOATED
It really did
Dear reader, see the picture
I do not kid!

And all at once
I had my headline
"FOOLED BY A PUMPKIN"
Sounded so sublime!

That was first of a series
of articles over two years
and the pumpkin was so important
Don't you agree, my dears?

True story.
Here's a link to the article I wrote then.
https://www.deccanherald.com/education/fooled-pumpkin-2439379