Issue 6.25 ~ this pretty planet
this pretty planet: nature mandalas
Welcome to
WHISPERshout Poetry Magazine,
Issue 6.25, June 2025
Welcome to This Pretty Planet! Here you’ll find new original poems and artworks by kids ages 4-12. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO SUBMIT YOUR WORK, TOO, and to comment on what you read here.
This month’s issue features poems written about nature mandalas. A mandala is a geometric design of symbols, usually connected to spiritual traditions. Creating them can lead to focused attention on order and symmetry in the world and a feeling of peaceful meditation.
POEM #1
“What is the key?” by Alexandra, 2nd grade
Is there just one “key to our pretty planet”? Alexandra knows that we can get to our pretty planet lots of ways.
POEM #2
“things in the sea” by Grayson, 3rd grade
We see sea shells—and puffer fish and little yellow boats—by the seashore…
Here Grayson uses a pun (two meanings of a word that sounds the same) to write a poem that is both a joke and a little chat about imagination.
POEM #3
“my turtle” by Rebeca, 1st grade
Rebeca’s turtle is many things! Try writing a poem in which your _____ is like a _____
and a _____
and _____
and a _____
and a _____
and like a _____
and _____
and _____
POEM #4
“a pretty pop of pink” by Beatriz, 3rd grade
No matter how it’s copied and pasted, this poem always looks a little blurry and buzzy, like the POPs of pink and the dashes of red won’t stay still, and we mean it. Is your head exploding like Bea’s?
POEM #5
“The Nature Map 1” by Benicio, 3rd grade
A whole enormous landscape lies inside Benicio’s mandala—just choose your path and climb there. Or swim there. Or tunnel there. Or hike there. Or sail there.
You get the picture.
POEM #6
“This Thing” by Tomas, 1st grade
This poem and this mandala by Tomas are both all over the place—and that’s how he immerses us in nature beauty, which if you look at it, REALLY look at it every day, could fill you with “bursting tears” and “delight,” all at the same time.
There are our six poems for this issue—which ones made you want to make your own nature mandala? GO OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW AND MAKE ONE! Is there a poem to go with it?
Then come back in and send us YOUR WORK for an upcoming issue in May…and maybe you’ll see YOUR poem featured! Just click the SUBMIT button below to get started.
Thanks for reading!
The Editorial We
If you are a teacher developing a poetry habit in your classroom, you might find that each issue of WHISPERshout Magazine is all the lesson you need.
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