Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Poem "One Inch Tall" by Shel Silverstein


One Inch Tall

If you were only one inch tall, you'd ride a worm to school.
The teardrop of a crying ant would be your swimming pool.
A crumb of cake would be a feast
And last you seven days at least,
A flea would be a frightening beast
If you were one inch tall.

If you were only one inch tall, you'd walk beneath the door,
And it would take about a month to get down to the store.
A bit of fluff would be your bed,
You'd swing upon a spider's thread,
And wear a thimble on your head
If you were one inch tall.

You'd surf across the kitchen sink upon a stick of gum.
You couldn't hug your mama, you'd just have to hug her thumb.
You'd run from people's feet in fright,
To move a pen would take all night,
(This poem took fourteen years to write--
'Cause I'm just one inch tall).

Shel Silverstein



I have always enjoyed reading poems by Shel Silverstein ever since I was in elementary school. I think they are really creative and fun to read which is what interests me when I look at poems. I also like reading serious poems with a deeper meaning but I like how the peoms by Shel Silverstein are fun and lighthearted. This poem in particular is quite creative and it caught my attention when I saw the title. It describes what life would be like for someone who is one inch tall and some of the challenges they would have to face. I love reading these kinds of poems becasue they are so random and fun that it forces people to use their imagination. Its a good idea to not get caught up in the seriousness of life and bring some childhood memories back by reading the witty and funny poems of Shel Silverstein.

10 comments:

  1. This poem is one that definitely one that speaks on the bright side. It's lighthearted and positive at the same time, which is really refreshing to see sometimes!

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  2. This poem makes me think of myself in high school. Granted I was bigger then one inch tall, but compared to everyone else I felt that way. The rest of my family are all six foot and above, including one cousin at 6'7". Then there is me at 5'8", every family picture I have to stand on my tippy toes.

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  3. What I love most about Shel Silverstein is that there are hidden meetings to his crazy little goofy poems. Like, in this one, I think that it is trying to say that if you are small (or small in the sense that you are in someway a minority) you can still live a normal life.

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  4. This is a very creative poem. It made me wonder what it would be like to be one inch tall. I'm not quite sure it would be very much fun.

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  5. This is a cute poem, I like the imagery.

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  6. I remember this poem from very early...probably like 1st grade.

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  7. This is a funny poem. It all makes sense and makes you think of how hard life would be if we really were that small. My favorite part is the end when it says that it took 14 years to write because the writter is only one inch tall. I think it gives it an extra funny twist.

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  8. Shel Silverstein is an awesome poet. I really enjoy this poem because of its uniqueness. I would never think of only being an inch tall, but this poem got my mind thinking. The last little part about taking the narrator 14 years to write cause "it" is only one inch tall

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  9. Silverstein seems to just have the mind of a child. His poetry is just so youthful and imaginary it's awesome how well he appeals to a young audience.

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  10. Shel Silverstein is definately a great poet. It's nice using my imagination when reading this poem. It's something that I know I tend to stop using, especially before midterms at school.

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