Eating Words
When you know
that vore means eat,
you will know
that insectivores feed
on grasshoppers, moths, and butterflies,
mosquitoes, bees, and plain-old flies.
When you know
that carni means meat,
you will know
that carnivores eat
snakes and lizards, deer and lamb,
carrion, birds, fish, and ham.
When you know
that herb means plant,
you will know
that herbivores CAN'T
eat anything that moves on a foot,
just foods that spring up from a root.
When you know
that omni means all,
you will know
that omnivores call
Everything
they can suck or chew—
sometimes even me or you—
food.
Copyright Credit: Katherine Hauth, "Eating Words" from What’s for Dinner. Copyright © 2011 by Katherine Hauth. Reprinted by permission of Charlesbridge.
Source: What's For Dinner? (Charlesbridge, 2011)