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Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
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.
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.
Why is that hitting me as a little dystopian today? Is it because I’m looking for creepiness?
Hahaha no it’s not just you… but I’ve been reading a lot of dystopian fiction lately so I might be looking for it too
You know, I entirely missed the dystopian overtones, possibly because I’ve loved this poem since I was a kid and first introduced to Silverstein? But it’s totally there, very much so. Good choice!
I loved it as a kid too! I don’t know that I would have noticed it if I had been reading such depressing books lately
I love Shel Silverstein!
My favorite lines of the poem are:
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.
Silverstein always manages to capture the wonder of being a kid that we lose somewhere in adulthood.
I do too! You’re right. I think that’s why I loved him as child and still love him as an adult