A few Google searches later, and it was almost like I was transported back in time - to 8 years old, sitting next to an old wooden bookshelf, head tilted in curious wonder as I flipped through the pages of The Sidewalk Ends.
Shel Silverstein's books were my first introduction to poetry - if you could even call it that. Rather, Shel Silverstein poems, to me at the time, were fun little distractions. My parents would go to this one Bible study and while the adults studied upstairs all the kids went downstairs into the basement - playing games, watching TV, and in my case? Shel Silverstein. Filled with squiggly, expressive drawings and plenty of white space, Shel Silverstein's poems delighted me in a way I couldn't explain. (As long as I didn't look at the back covers of his books, that giant face was terrifying). Some of them were downright silly while others seemed to scratch at a deeper meaning.
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| i will never understand why shel silverstein felt the need to terrorize youth everywhere with his unexpected, large face |
Years later, as I look back at the poems, I see so much more than before. Well, duh, I'm older.
But weirdly enough, Shel Silverstein's poems - in all their simple, unimpressive glory - resonate with me on a much deeper level now. Below, I'll share a few of my favorites that I looked back on:
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| Masks |
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| The Voice |
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| Tell Me |
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| Listen to the Mustn'ts |
As you can see, all of the above poems have a common thread: identity, authenticity, and purpose. And to be honest - I'm kind of searching for those right now. Not to say I don't have them - but I think that, especially at this point in life (almost going to college whooooo) those are the things that can seem so out of grasp, but also are so important at the same time.
All this to say: children's books are really for adults. I said it. You're telling me 8 year old cowboy boots Sunny-D drinking me would have grasped the complexities of not knowing your purpose in life and wearing "masks" of your identity by 3rd grade? Ok. Go off I guess. And just who is buying the children's books? The parents. Yes. My case here is closed.
In the sometimes *scary* and serious adult world that most of us are about to enter into, there's something innately comforting about Shel Silverstein's poems: they're short and unassuming, but they speak truth to some of our greatest fears and longings. That's the beauty of poetry: it's truly timeless, and like wine, it only gets better with age.
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| ms. feldkamp I promise I am not an alcoholic |
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