Dreambeast: An Inspiring Poem about Dreams for Kids. Never Doubt Your Dreams!

Dreambeast

If you have a dream

that won’t go away

that gnaws at your toes

with each waking day

That sings beneath notes

and swirls between stars

From lines in great books

it thrashes and gnarls

From cinema screens

it leaps along light

and twists your insides

and stalks you at night

Then give it attention

Tame that wild dream

It’s there for a reason

yet to be seen

A beast of the future

only you own

Don't let it escape

into the unknown

Train it with care

and boost its esteem

Spotlight it brightly

so it can be seen

Or dreams can turn nasty

tire and groan

Diminishing creatures

if left all alone

The beast never dies

just shrinks and goes cold

A lone, solemn dream

growing weary and old

Fight the dream-bruisers

wish-batterers too

and splatterers of hope

who'll be waiting for you

Feel the roar rumble

Hear every shout

It’s your beast of a dream

just dying to get out

©2009 Mark Bird

💡 KS2 Poetry Lesson Ideas for Teachers and Students:

When I wrote 'Dreambeast' I wrote it as a warning to myself and as an inspiring poem for kids to never give up on their dreams. However, the best people to write an inspiring poem for kids are children themselves. Get in touch with your own inspiring poem for kids and other young people so I can share your inspiration on my blog at Dreambeast Poems.

As the poet behind Dreambeast, I wanted to give shape to the big, wild feelings that come with dreams—especially the ones that feel too strange, too bold, or too powerful to say out loud. This Dream Poem for Kids invites children to see their dreams not as fragile thoughts, but as wild creatures that need attention, training, and care. In the classroom, this opens a gateway for rich creative writing, roleplay, and metaphor-building activities.

Children can write letters to their dreambeasts, sculpt them in clay, or act out how their dreams would move, sound, and even roar. Through storytelling, drama, and visual arts, students can connect with their inner creativity and give their dreams a voice, a shape—and a chance to shine.