Melinda Mae [Poem of the Week]

Greetings all!

I wanted to share a poem by Shel Silverstein with you. Simple on the surface, with delightful rhyming, and kids will probably find it funny! But I also think it is rather thought-provoking. Read to the end for my reflections!

Melinda Mae 

Have you heard of tiny Melinda Mae,

Who ate a monstrous whale?
She thought she could,
She said she would,
So she started in right at the tail.

And everyone said, "You're much too small,"
But that didn't bother Melinda at all.
She took little bites and she chewed very slow,
Just like a good girl should...

...And in eighty-nine years she ate that whale
Because she said she would!

~ by Shel Silverstein

I keep thinking about the following lines:  

‘She thought she could’ 
– To me, this line speaks of internal strength and determination!

‘She thought she would!’
- Do you see the leap from 'could' to 'would' and then to 'start'? 

‘She started in right at the tail’ 
- Make a plan and start soon, one bite at a time!

‘And everyone said, "You're much too small," 
But that didn't bother Melinda at all.’ 
– I just love this! Do not let anyone deter you!

I also wonder about where Melinda got the monstrous whale. How did she keep the whale fresh and where did she store it? What about environmental consequences of her diet since some species of whale are endangered? It took Melinda 89 years to finish the whale so did whale-eating contribute to her longevity? Was it silly to stick that long to a childhood whim? Should she have chosen a different goal? 

As you can see, this short poem is very thought-provoking, and I hope my post made you smile and think!

Source:
https://genius.com/Shel-silverstein-melinda-mae-annotated

What did you think? Drop me a line!