Timothy Grimothy: a mud poem for kids about a boy who loves mud

Timothy Grimothy

Timothy Grimothy – grimy and grim
he’d not had a shower all year
and only one bath
he’d had for a laugh
submerged in baked beans and stale beer

Timothy Grimothy – started to reek
his friends wore big pegs on their noses
not choosing a cure
he rolled in manure
which squelched between all of his toeses

Timothy Grimothy – no more friends left
just girlfriend remained - Mudpie Sally
but even she fled
on seeing the spread
of sprouts twisting out of his belly

Timothy Grimothy – crannies and nooks
completely been sealed with the grime
two earfuls of wax
one bum without cracks
a nose jammed with bogeys and slime

Timothy Grimothy – huge ball of filth
the sludge seeping into his blood
then getting much bigger
a J.C.B digger
thought he was a great mound of mud

Timothy Grimothy – Mama screamed “NO!”
ran over to save her poor child
she dug in the dirt
found pieces of shirt
two eyeballs both staring and wild

Timothy Grimothy – crumbled to bits
his mama she reached for the spade
packed him in sacks
and carried him back
to fertilise lilies she’d laid

Timothy Grimothy – nose, lips and all
eternally glad how it ended
decomposing with slugs
and lots of dead bugs
dissolved in the earth as intended

Timothy Grimothy – centuries on
the lilies had died long ago
instead a new breed
of flowery weed
in hundreds of thousands had grown

'The Timothy Grimothy Yucky-Muck Plant'
with eyeballs that stared from each flower
but down they would sink
to the ground and then wink
at even a slight chance of showers

©2009 Mark Bird

💡 Literacy Lesson Ideas for Teachers and Students:

Here are some fun and creative lesson ideas inspired by your mud poem for kids, "Timothy Grimothy." Children can explore the themes of hygiene, personal care, and consequences through a humorous lens. Discussions can focus on what might happen if we never bathed, using Timothy as a cautionary (and hilarious) example. Students can invent their own grimy characters and write silly poems or short stories, playing with rhyme and gross-out humour to build literacy and creativity. Role play activities could include acting out scenes from the poem or imagining how other people might react to Timothy’s stinky adventures.

Children could analyse the poem’s structure, identifying its rhyme scheme and rhythm, then try writing their own gross-out poems using similar patterns. Lessons can focus on building vivid imagery and playful language, encouraging children to use all five senses to describe their characters or settings—especially the stinkiest ones! Students might also experiment with character-driven storytelling, developing backstories for Timothy or creating spin-off poems about other messy misfits. Collaborative writing games, like “pass-the-poem,” can build confidence and teamwork while reinforcing poetic techniques in a fun and engaging way. I'd love to hear your own mud poem for kids.

#MudPoemforKids