Heathrow Teams With Children's Poets for Easter Weekend Poetry Initiative

Posted on March 17, 2016

Flying has become even more unpleasant in the U.S. with extremely long lines being reported by the TSA. Holiday travel is even busier. But for those traveling over Easter in England, a little poetry might help make the travel experience more pleasant. Heathrow Airport has teamed up with children's authors and poets Michael Rosen, Danny Wallace, Laura Dockrill and MG Leonard to bring poetry to the airport.

Heathrow administrators estimate that 850,000 people will travel through the airport over Easter weekend, from April 25 - April 27. An additional 200,000 families will be traveling with children. To entertain these little travelers, Heathrow has launched the Passport to Poetry initiative.

The poets have written special travel poems for the children which will can be heard at special "poetry points." Just stand near the points and overhead speakers will play poems inspired by travel and adventures. There will also be contests for poets under 16, as well as promotions in the restaurants and special security lanes to ease families through the long lines.

Former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen's clever and slightly disturbing poem is called "I'm a Suitcase"in which a suitcase shares his secret wishes to who wants to be free and now stuck in the hotel room. The suitcase explains,

"I may be a suitcase/
but I want to be free/
I want to go to the beach,/
and swim in the sea/
I want to go to the mountains/
and learn how to ski/
I want to hear music/
dance and shout/
You leave me in the room/
when you go out./
But I don't want to be baggage/
It’s not what I want to be./
I'm a suitcase/
and I want to be free."

It's quite funny, but we have to wonder if this poem is going to lead to children demanding that their suitcases be set free from their hotel room prisons in order to find fulfillment. You can read and listen to the poets reading their work here.