Happy May first! Time for another Inkling Challenge. This month, Heidi, who is a master of wordplay, challenged us to up our game in that department and “Celebrate May by writing a poem that Maykes use of the verbs may, might, could, can, ought.” She shared this helpful information from The Britannica Dictionary: “These verbs are all modal verbs, which means that they are generally used in combination with other verbs, and are used to change the verb’s meaning to something different from simple fact. Modals express possibility, ability, prediction, permission, and necessity.”

Thanks to weeks of depressing news, my mind immediately went to a bleak place. But May isn’t bleak. Then my sister shared a video with me, and I knew it had to be the subject of my poem.

Close Encounter

One day you may find yourself
snorkeling in the clear blue 
South Pacific and a whale
may swim up and nudge
you back toward your boat.

A shark might be prowling
nearby, heading straight for you.
she might think you’d make
a nice lunch.

You could panic, or
you could realize the whale
is trying to save you.
He can carry you on his back,
can keep you safe from the shark
and deliver you to safety.

You ought to thank this whale,
Be grateful for his altruism.
You ought to do everything 
in your power to keep him
safe.

Watch the video of Nan Hauser describe her incredible experience:

Be sure to visit my fellow Inklings to read their May poems:

Heidi @my juicy little universe
Margaret @Reflections on the Teche
Molly @Nix the Comfort Zone
Linda @A Word Edgewise
Mary Lee @Another Year of Reading

Then head over to Imagine the Possibilities, where Rose has the Poetry Friday Roundup.