Be Olympic! An Olympic poem for kids using Athletics, Track and Field as a metaphor.

Be Olympic!

Send your javelin soaring
a spear of dreams in flight
Fling your discus skywards
a whirling wish alight

Put your shot and holler
a hidden hope expelled
Hurl your hammer, star-bound
a circling urge propelled

Hurdle fears and demons
Mere barriers of mind
Sprint ahead of haters
No need to look behind

Marathon, keep going
The wall will tell you stop
Dig your heels in, chin up
Against all odds, don’t drop

Vault above the limits
Jump far beyond the pit
Run to catch your future
Embolden those who quit

Race to win and wonder
At times you will come last
Cut your losses quickly
and cast them in the past

Throwing, jumping, sprinting
Each moment, yours to take
First or last or middle
The record, yours to break

©2021 Mark Bird

💡 Creative Writing and Poetry Lessons for Teachers:

This energetic and motivational Olympic poem for kids, titled "Be Olympic!", is the perfect springboard for a creative writing, poetry, and drama lesson that celebrates effort, resilience, and personal bests. Using the vivid imagery of Olympic events, students are encouraged to write their own action-packed poems using metaphor and movement. Creative writing prompts can explore the emotional journeys of athletes, turning sports into symbols for personal challenges and dreams. In drama sessions, students can bring the poem to life through physical theatre, choreographed readings, and performance poetry that mirror the poem’s rhythm and pace. The lesson promotes teamwork, self-expression, and the idea that being “Olympic” is about courage, not just competition.