Shel Silverstein
"Where the Sidewalk Ends"
Poet Research
"Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein. Silverstein had a good, loving life. He tried making the best of things.
The reason why he had a good loving life, is because he showed it in his poems. Like when he says, "and there the sun burns crimson bright." life is good and bright! or when he says, "where the asphalt flowers grow" meaning that there are things in life that you just have to trust just like when he had to trust himself when he dropped out of college, he knew he had to go, but didn't and he just grew up. When he says, "Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow." He means that when he dropped out of college, he went into the army, he walked and walked it was slow, because he missed his family but also because he is fighting for our lives and that made it even slower because he had to wait and wait and wait for the days to past to come home.
In conclusion the poem really goes with his life, ups and downs but still living life to its fullest without any regrets. Silverstein had a very good life but with its downs.
Poem Explication
"Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein. He was a very happy man, but his poems were very deep. I think Silverstein wrote this poem because he wanted everybody to know how important life is.
When he says, "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." He wants us to be thankful for everything we have in life, even the little things in life. Like the grass, wind, moon, and birds. Everything has its own meaning in life. Another example could be when he says, "Watch where the chalk-white arrows go to the place where the sidewalk ends." when he says that he means that watch and look closely to where you are going and see where it takes you. He is trying to say that even if you are scared to do something, do it anyways and see where it takes you. It could be somewhere where we don't want to go, but we don't know for sure, unless you take it and try. When Silverstein says, "There is a place where the sidewalk ends and before the street begins." when he says that he means that in life there is no end but when we die life begins again. Because the sidewalk there is no end, and the street there is always a new beginning like for an example in Heaven.
In his poem it says so much about our life and his life. Everything in life counts, even the little things. Just because you don't pay attention to the little things in life, doesn't mean that they are not important. They are and we should be thankful for everything.
Grass
Flowers
Street
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.
Glass
always trying to see the clear side of things,
but everything is not always clear.
break after break, shatter after shatter, like a car accident.
the glass is a reflection of fear and sadness.
the mirror of glass is a moving refection, it is alive and awoken
looking for sadness but yet you have none,
dear glass, glass don't be such a sad thing.
shattered pieces on the floor, but yet so happy
happiness is better than sadness, take the right
rode not the wrong road,
take the one that gives you the most attention,
not the one that looks glamorous.
flowers lined through on of the sides of the streets,
tulips, sunflowers, roses, and even tiger lilies,
and the other side, black roses, garbage, candy wrappers,
but maybe the nicer rode is the bad rode and the bad rode is the nicer rode.
back and forth to the streets and mirror never know what to choose
you never knew things could be so complicated.
everything has its own meaning or else what would be its
purpose of staying on Earth if there was no meaning at all.
life is about living your life to the fullest but yet take some chances.