Rhyme- Chelsea Southworth

Catch a Little Rhyme

BY EVE MERRIAM

Once upon a time A

I caught a little rhyme A

I set it on the floor B

but it ran right out the door B

I chased it on my bicycle C

but it melted to an icicle C

I scooped it up in my hat D

but it turned into a cat D

I caught it by the tail E

but it stretched into a whale E

I followed it in a boat F

but it changed into a goat F

When I fed it tin and paper G

it became a tall skyscraper G

Then it grew into a kite H

and flew far out of sight ... H

Merriam, Eve. "Catch a Little Rhyme." Catch a Little Rhyme. New York: Antheneum, 1966. N. pag. Print.

The rhyme scheme of this poem is AA, BB, CC, etc. This poem seems to be, to me, about rhymes and possibly other words being both susceptible to change and hard to pin down; a rhyme doesn't necessarily make a work better -- it could just change or stretch the poem's shape. The AA, BB structure serves to emphasize the rhyme itself. Since all of the rhymes are one right after the other, they are very easy to notice and have a high impact on the reader. The rhymes also give the poem a more rhythmic feel.