I’m Great at Almost Catching Things
I’m great at almost catching things.
I nearly catch them all.
Today I almost caught a stick
and almost caught a ball.
I almost caught an apple,
and an orange, and a pear.
I almost caught a cupcake
and a giant teddy bear.
I almost caught a dozen eggs.
I almost caught a bowl.
I almost caught a glass of milk
and then a casserole.
I almost caught a pot of soup
and several cans of paint.
Then mom walked in and saw the mess.
I thought that she might faint.
I miss things by so little.
I’m surprised she doesn’t see
I’m practically an expert.
She should be more proud of me.
— Kenn Nesbitt
Copyright © 2026. All Rights Reserved.
Reading Level: Grade 2
Topics: Poems about Friends and Family, Sports
Poetic Techniques: Irony, List Poems, Lyric & Dramatic Poems, Repetition
Word Count: 120
About This Poem
When I was a kid, I was terrible at catching things, especially in sports. If someone threw me a ball, there was a very good chance I wasn’t going to catch it. Fortunately, my best friend in fifth grade, Clarence, was both very athletic and very patient. Whenever we played football, he would always throw the ball to me, hoping that someday I’d finally catch it.
I don’t think I ever did.
Years later, as a teenager, I taught myself how to juggle, and these days I’m actually pretty good at catching things. But I’ve never forgotten Clarence, or how kind and encouraging he was back then.
Recently, I found myself thinking about all those times I almost caught the ball, how close I came, again and again, only to have it bounce off of my hands. And it made me wonder… what if “almost” counted? What if getting really close was good enough to earn a little credit?
That idea actually made me giggle, so I turned it into this poem. I hope you enjoy it!
Oh, and it you liked this one, here are a few more you should read:
Worksheet
Click here for a printable worksheet for this poem
Use This Poem
Would you like to use this poem in your classroom? Would you like permission to reprint, record, recite or broadcast this poem, or set it to music? Please click on one of the following links for permissions and reprint rights information:
