Poetry Out Loud Kacey Cowley

Catch a Little Rhyme Once upon a time I caught a little rhyme I set it on the floor but it ran right out the door I chased it on my bicycle But it melted to an icicle I scooped it up into my hat But it turned into a cat I caught it by the tail But it stretched into a whale I followed it in a boat But it changed into a goat When I fed it tin and paper It became a tall skyscraper Then it grew into a kite And flew far out of sight

Eve Merriam (7/19/1916 – 4/11/1992) American poet and writer. Her First book, Family Circle, won the Yale Younger Poets Prize. Published a total of 88 books. Her book , The Inner City Mother Goose, inspired a 1982 Broadway musical called, Inner City. Died in 1992 from liver cancer. 5th recipient of NCTE award Poetryatplay.org

Catch a Little Rhyme Literal meaning- this poem is literally about rhyming. Figurative meaning- the speaker is talking about catching rhymes, so she probably is talking about trying to rhyme.

Rhyme “I set it on the floor But it ran right out the door” End rhyme Couplets

Imagery The rhyme has stretched into a whale The rhyme turned into a tall skyscraper

Imagery It turned into a kite and flew far out of site. It turned into a cat

Personification “ I set it on the floor but it ran right out the door.” “..but it melted into an icicle” “..it turned into a cat” “..it stretched into a whale” A rhyme cannot run. A rhyme can’t melt A rhyme can’t physically change. A rhyme can’t stretch.

Personification (continued) “…it changed into a goat” “..it became a tall skyscraper” “..grew into a kite” “..flew far out of sight” A rhyme cannot change into a goat A rhyme cannot become a skyscraper A rhyme cannot grow or become a kite A rhyme can’t fly

Catch a Little Rhyme Purpose- to show that even though the rhyme was “changing” it was still a rhyme. Theme- Things can change within a matter of seconds, but even though its different over all whatever it is its still the same

Meanings Literal- In this poem Eve Merriam is talking about how many different times a rhyme can change and how many different things a rhyme can change into. Figurative- I see this as she is daydreaming and the way it is changing through her own mind and at the end when the kite flew away that would be the end of her daydream and when she comes back to reality.

Websites http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eve_Merriam