Boa Constrictor
Oh, I'm being eaten
By a boa constrictor
A boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor,
And I don't like it-one bit.
Well, what you know?
It's nibblin' my toe.
Oh, gee,
It's up to my knee.
Oh my,
It's up to my thigh.
Oh, fiddle,
It's up to my middle.
Oh, heck,
It's up to my neck.
Oh, dread,
It's upmmmmmmmmmmffffffffff...
This is by far my favorite poem. I have never been that interested in poetry, but I remember this poem from my childhood. Shel Silverstein is amazing!! The sounds that Silverstein creates with his words are amazing. It is as if you can almost hear the boa constrictor nibbling at the person's toes in the poem. The rhythm of the poem is also very appealing. The reader begins to read and it almost feels as if the reader should speed up as the boa constrictor continues to eat and eat and eat. The emotion behind the rhythm builds until finally the person is eaten by the boa constrictor. The reader feels relieved from the anticipation and suspense of the poem when the boa constrictor finally eats the person. The rhyme scheme that Silverstein presents also adds to the excellence of the poem. "Oh, gee, it's up to my knee" and "Oh, fiddle, it's up to my middle" are rhyme schemes that children pick up on and are interested with. The images that Silverstein presents are also great! For children to picture a boa constrictor eating a person slowly bit by bit, it grabs their attention and encourages them to read more poetry. I cannot say how amazing that Shel Silverstein is at writing poetry!!! Definitely a great poet for children to read!