When asked to pick my favorite poem, I had to admit to myself that outside of the poems we read in the packet, I didn't know many poems off hand that I loved. So I dug into my reservoir of knowledge of poetry from elementary school, and remembered the beautifully silly poems of Shel Silverstein. I distinctly remember having books of his poetry, one entitled, "Where the Sidewalk Ends." This blog will be a testament not only to the wonderful poem with the same name, but also the work that Silverstein has done in making poetry appealing to children.
The poem itself is wonderful. It speaks to the power of a child's imagination in the place where the sidewalk ends. The kids escape the place where "the smoke blows black/ and the dark street winds and bends/ past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow." And in this magical place where the sidewalk ends they will find that, "there the grass grows soft and white/ and there the sun burns crimson bright/and their the moon-bird rests from his flight/ to cool in the peppermint wind." Although the description may be nonsensical, the diction and imagery create a lighter, happier world where the children can play and enjoy themselves. Maybe it is in their imagination, maybe they are stuck in the asphalt flowers, but as Silverstein writes, "for the children they mark, and the children they know/ the place where the sidewalk ends." The children's imaginations are the strongest, and they will always be capable of finding these enchanting escapes, we just have to follow.
I'll admit, I never analyzed the poem "Where the Sidewalk Ends" that closely until I started this blog post. Yet, I've known and admired the poem for years, and therein lies the genius of Shel Silverstein's poetry. He succeeds in getting children excited about poetry. I think it is incredibly important to form this interest in poetry at a young age because without early exposure, its too easy to be apathetic towards poetry, when it really can do wonderful things. And even though kids might not understand the meanings of the poems at the time, the poems are generally straightfoward, and applicable to their lives. They are silly, they rhyme, and they're fun to read at bed time. Because kids like these books they will be excited about poetry, or at least more open to learning about it, in their future academic careers. So I highly encourage you all to think back on all those silly poems you read as a child, and consider their affect on you.
I loved reading Shel Silverstein poems when I was younger too! I liked your analysis of the poem because, like you said, I never really thought about the meaning of the poem until later. I think reading those poems when I was younger did make me more open to appreciating poetry.
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