I've promised my 3-year-old twins that, for their fourth birthday, I will write them a poem a day for the next year. They've promised to help me by letting me see this magical world of ours through their eyes. One year from now, we hope to have a collection of verses that, when stacked end to end, will reach as high as Jack's beanstock!

If you're a child at heart, or if you have your own, come take a peek into this fantasy world of ours, preferably at bedtime. While we can't offer guarantees, we've discovered, through a bit of why-aren't-they-asleep-yet trial and error, that children and adults, alike, sleep longer and better after a glass of warm milk when taken with (and this is the part that's often forgotten) a dose of whimsy, a side of "what if's", and a liberal sprinkling of giggles. So that's whats on offer over at Polka Dot Poems, and it seems to work for us (I can even skip the milk when I need to).

If you do drop in to see us, we'll introduce you to the life of a polka dot and tell you the tale of the stripe who landed on a leopard and decided to stay. If you like Bad Guys, we've got them too, but our Bad Guys are usually rehabilitated as we try to find ways to turn them around. And if you're a bit tired of explaining why children once set out on treacherous treks to fetch water from wells very inconveniently located on top of The Hill, then you may find a bit of reprieve with us as one of our guilty pleasures is rejigging old Mother Goose favourites to give them a fun, modern edge.

Two more things: I'm not a writer, but rather one of those "I'm a poet but didn't know it" types. I do this mostly in the wee hours of the morning when said children are asleep, and I have a day job that is not at all conducive to expressing myself in rhyme (I'm a lawyer). So the rhyme here will not always be perfect. There may be a line or two that slip in that merit a groan. But it's like what they say about a lot of other things these days: beauty is in the imperfections. At least, that's what I'll be telling myself.

I may also have bitten off more than I can chew, as at some point between now and Day 365, I may run out of ideas. This is where you and any children in your life could actually help me and mine. Tell us what you'd like. I'm taking custom orders every day now from my twins. Feel free to send along yours, and we'll try to oblige!