Ma and God
Ma and God - meaning Summary
Child's View of Rules
Shel Silverstein's poem contrasts a mother's rules with the child's delight in sensual, messy pleasures. Each stanza pairs a moral injunction from Ma with a playful reminder that God provided tempting, disorderly alternatives—ice cream, puddles, trash-can lids, stray dogs, coal bins—so the child questions whose authority makes sense. The final line wryly concludes that either Ma or God must be wrong, capturing childlike logic and rebellious humor.
Read Complete AnalysesGod gave us fingers--Ma says, "Use your fork." God gave us voices--Ma says, "Don't scream." Ma says eat broccoli, cereal and carrots. But God gave us tasteys for maple ice cream. God gave us fingers--Ma says, "Use your hanky." God gave us puddles--Ma says, "Don't splash." Ma says, "Be quiet, your father is sleeping." But God gave us garbage can covers to crash. God gave us fingers--Ma says, "Put your gloves on." God gave us raindrops--Ma says, "Don't get wet." Ma says be careful, and don't get too near to Thoses strange lovely dogs that God gave us to pet. God gave us fingers--Ma says, "Go wash 'em." But God gave us coal bins and nice dirty bodies. And I ain't too smart, but there's one thing for certain-- Either Ma's wrong or else God is.
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