Sunday, November 16, 2008

Remember this poem/this book?


Where the Sidewalk Ends

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

Shel Silverstein


I suppose I'm still a kid at heart since I've never forgotten the poems in this book, and how I used to recite them to get a laugh out of my fellow students in the third grade. The above poem to me is imbued with a sense of nostalgia. Not only because of the inherent nature of the poem, but because I remember the book from when I was a child. "Oh, to go back and relieve those" blah, blah, blah

If you've read this book, you must have a favorite poem in there somewhere. Let me know.

7 comments:

Cathy_of_Alex said...

Oh yes!

Katie Alender said...

My parents used to read Shel Silverstein's books with me before bed. I love "Me Too and the Exactly What" and the poem about the girl who dies because she never got a pony, and her parents are sooooo sorry.

jessica said...

I LOVED this book!!! I'll get back to you on my favorite poem though. I bought this book and I think 4 or 5 others a few years ago because I just had to have them! Oh the memories... :-)

Adrienne said...

I'm afraid his books were after my time (for sitting in Mom's lap being read to, anyway)I mostly remember Dr. Suess...

I shall have to take some out at the library.

Terry Nelson said...

I love these - I bought them as an adult -in my early 20's I had aspirations to write children's books - but the manuscripts were considered "too dark" - and so I started collecting rejection notices... and then I entered the monastery.

Shirley said...

Don't know that book but I do know that I enjoy your blog; stop by and pick up an award!

Tracy said...

Oh Tom, thank you for this memory, I sure do remember this book:)