Be the Best of Whatever You Are

Douglas Malloch

1877 to 1938

Poem Image
Track 1

Reconstruct the poem by dragging each line into its correct position. Your goal is to reassemble the original poem as accurately as possible. As you move the lines, you'll see whether your arrangement is correct, helping you explore the poem's flow and meaning. You can also print out the jumbled poem to cut up and reassemble in the classroom. Either way, take your time, enjoy the process, and discover how the poet's words come together to create something truly beautiful.

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And some highway some happier make;
If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass,
If you can't be the sun be a star;
But the liveliest bass in the lake!
We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew,
Be a scrub in the valley—but be
Be a bush if you can't be a tree.
If you can't be a muskie then just be a bass—
If you can't be a highway then just be a trail,
If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill
There's big work to do and there's lesser to do,
 And the task we must do is the near.
There's something for all of us here.
Be the best of whatever you are!
The best little scrub by the side of the rill;
It isn't by size that you win or you fail—