One Inch Tall by Shel Silverstein
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).
This is the poem I have chosen to post on.
There is some use of figurative speech in this poem one of them is the use of hyperbole. Basically, the entire poem itself is a hyperbole. For example, “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,” portrays horseback riding and swimming in a one inch tall version of life. However, exaggeration in the descriptions gives the reader a feeling of being diminutive themselves. The phrase "one inch tall" is also repeated several times. It is a metaphor to describe the weakness of man. By writing this poem, the writer is probably trying to tell readers that he acknowledges that he has weaknesses and is not perfect just like any person in the world. This can be further seen when he states that he is one inch tall at the end.
This poem appeals to me because I am actually on the short side. It actually gives me the feeling that being short is not that bad at all as everybody has shortcomings according to this poem. (Being short is probably one of my shortcomings) This poem also talks about man's weaknesses and somehow, I feel enlightened after reading this poem.