The Land of Mites and Maybees

Long, long ago on an island far away, sat The Land of Mites and Maybees to the left of Backbone Bay.

The mites were hearty creatures, they would never hurt a soul. But their problem was they never could achieve a single goal.

They knew just what they wanted, and they’d ponder it at length, but when it came to action, they just didn’t have the strength.

The maybees were quite similar, with only slight revisions. They’d say “maybe this” and “maybe that”, but never reached decisions.

There was a king, King Know It All, who loved to take advantage of these measly mites and maybees whom without him could not manage.

Or so they thought, for they’d been told and learned so deep within that there’s just no sense in trying when you know you cannot win.

And so the king, with ruling hand grew stronger every day. For the mites and maybees just assumed that his was the best way.

Till one bright day, out of the blue, a mini-mite was walking and in his sheltered innocence, he suddenly began talking.

“Why do we weed our gardens by hand when it’s faster with a hoe? And why do we sled in summertime instead of in the snow?

“Why do we paint our buildings brown, when red is so much brighter? And why do we carry sacks of rocks when stones are so much lighter?”

The mini-mite kept asking more, like a record that was broken. Though all of them had thought these things, none had ever spoken.

“Shhh! Pipe down!”, were the frightened cries as they worried their king would hear. The mites and maybees looked around, their eyes spread wide with fear.

“I’ll be quiet”, said the mini-mite, “but I just have one more query. If there’s more of us than there is of him, why is he so scary?”

The mites and maybees pondered this, this thought that was quite new. And as they tugged and wrestled it, the logic in it grew.

Suddenly everything seemed so clear; they all had minds of their own, so why were they letting King Know It All rule his mighty throne?

Well, it didn’t take long once this thought was in place, for weeds to be pulled out with hoes. And it didn’t take long for paint to be red and for sleds to be used when it snows.

Soon the king got weaker, and finally left; Left the whole kingdom far behind. For he realized that not even he was as strong as the power of speaking your mind.

Copyright Arden Davidson, 2019

 

POEM FOR KIDS WRITTEN BY ARDEN DAVIDSON

Illustration by Kseniya Shagieva

LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE POEM ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Communication

1. This poem talks about what can happen when we say what’s on our minds. How do you think we can change the world by telling people our ideas and thoughts?

WOULD YOU LIKE TO READ MORE POEMS FROM THE SAME AUTHOR?

What’s Weird About A Mirror: 101 Curious Poems

written by Arden Davidson and published by Storyberries.

It’s a long-awaited, hilarious collection of children’s poems by poet Arden Davidson, and includes topics ranging from a snoring grandma to a six-footed camel to reflections on the weirdness of mirrors.