Read Online Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein - Free Book Online
Authors: Shel Silverstein
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Where The Sidewalk Ends
INVITATION
If you are a dreamer, come in.
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer…
If you’re a pretender, come sit by my fire
For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!
THE ACROBATS
I’ll swing
By my ankles,
She’ll cling
To your knees
As you hang
By your nose
From a high-up
Trapeze.
But just one thing, please,
As we float through the breeze-
Don’t sneeze.
MAGIC
Sandra’s seen a leprechaun,
Eddie touched a troll,
Laurie danced with witches once,
Charlie found some goblins’ gold.
Donald heard a mermaid sing,
Susy spied an elf.
But all the magic I have known
I’ve had to make myself.
HOMEMADE BOAT
This boat that we just built is just fine-
And don’t try to tell us it’s not.
The sides and the back are divine-
It’s the bottom I guess we forgot….
I MUST REMEMBER
I must remember …
Turkey on Thanksgiving,
Pudding on Christmas,
Eggs on Easter,
Chicken on Sunday,
Fish on Friday,
Leftovers, Monday.
But ah, me-I’m such a dunce.
I went and ate them all at once.
THE FOURTH
Oh
CRASH!
my
BASH!
it’s
BANG!
the
ZANG!
Fourth
WHOOSH!
of
BAROOOM!
July
WHEW!
ICKLE ME, PICKLE ME, TICKLE ME TOO
Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too
Went for a ride in a flying shoe.
“Hooray!”
“What fun!”
“It’s time we flew!”
Said Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
Ickle was captain, and Pickle was crew
And Tickle served coffee and mulligan stew
As higher
And higher
And higher they flew,
Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
Over the sun and beyond the blue.
“Hold on!”
“Stay in!”
“I hope we do!”
Cried Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too
Never returned to the world they knew.
And nobody
Knows what’s
Happened to
Dear Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
CAPTAIN HOOK
Captain Hook must remember
Not to scratch his toes.
Captain Hook must watch out
And never pick his nose.
Captain Hook must be gentle
When he shakes your hand.
Captain Hook must be careful
Openin’ sardine cans
And playing tag and pouring tea
And turnin’ pages of his book.
Lots of folks I’m glad I ain’t-
But mostly Captain Hook!
HUG O’ WAR
I will not play at tug o’ war.
I’d rather play at hug o’ war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug.
Where everyone kisses.
And everyone grins.
And everyone cuddles.
And everyone wins.
IT’S DARK IN HERE
I am writing these poems
From inside a lion.
And it’s rather dark in here.
So please excuse the handwriting
Which may not be too clear.
But this afternoon by the lion’s cage
I’m afraid I got too near.
And I’m writing these lines
From inside a lion.
And it’s rather dark in here.
OURCHESTRA
So you haven’t got a drum, just beat your belly.
So I haven’t got a horn-I’ll play my nose.
So we haven’t any cymbals-
We’ll just slap our hands together.
And though there may be orchestras
That sound a little better
With their fancy shiny instruments
That cost an awful lot-
Hey, we’re making music twice as good
By playing what we’ve got!
FLAG
One star is for Alaska …
One star is for Nebraska …
One star is North Dakota …
One star is Minnesota…
There are lots of other stars,
But I forget which ones they are.
COLORS
My skin is kind of sort of brownish
Pinkish yellowish white.
My eyes are greyish blueish green.
But I’m told they look orange in the night.
My hair is reddish blondish brown,
But it’s silver when it’s wet.
And all the colors I am inside
Have not been invented yet.
THE LOSER
Mama said I’d lose my head
If it wasn’t fastened on.
Today I guess it wasn’t
‘Cause while playing with my cousin
It fell off and rolled away
And now it’s gone.
And I can’t look for it
‘Cause my eyes are in it.
And I can’t call to
INVITATION
If you are a dreamer, come in.
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer…
If you’re a pretender, come sit by my fire
For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!
THE ACROBATS
I’ll swing
By my ankles,
She’ll cling
To your knees
As you hang
By your nose
From a high-up
Trapeze.
But just one thing, please,
As we float through the breeze-
Don’t sneeze.
MAGIC
Sandra’s seen a leprechaun,
Eddie touched a troll,
Laurie danced with witches once,
Charlie found some goblins’ gold.
Donald heard a mermaid sing,
Susy spied an elf.
But all the magic I have known
I’ve had to make myself.
HOMEMADE BOAT
This boat that we just built is just fine-
And don’t try to tell us it’s not.
The sides and the back are divine-
It’s the bottom I guess we forgot….
I MUST REMEMBER
I must remember …
Turkey on Thanksgiving,
Pudding on Christmas,
Eggs on Easter,
Chicken on Sunday,
Fish on Friday,
Leftovers, Monday.
But ah, me-I’m such a dunce.
I went and ate them all at once.
THE FOURTH
Oh
CRASH!
my
BASH!
it’s
BANG!
the
ZANG!
Fourth
WHOOSH!
of
BAROOOM!
July
WHEW!
ICKLE ME, PICKLE ME, TICKLE ME TOO
Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too
Went for a ride in a flying shoe.
“Hooray!”
“What fun!”
“It’s time we flew!”
Said Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
Ickle was captain, and Pickle was crew
And Tickle served coffee and mulligan stew
As higher
And higher
And higher they flew,
Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
Over the sun and beyond the blue.
“Hold on!”
“Stay in!”
“I hope we do!”
Cried Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too
Never returned to the world they knew.
And nobody
Knows what’s
Happened to
Dear Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
CAPTAIN HOOK
Captain Hook must remember
Not to scratch his toes.
Captain Hook must watch out
And never pick his nose.
Captain Hook must be gentle
When he shakes your hand.
Captain Hook must be careful
Openin’ sardine cans
And playing tag and pouring tea
And turnin’ pages of his book.
Lots of folks I’m glad I ain’t-
But mostly Captain Hook!
HUG O’ WAR
I will not play at tug o’ war.
I’d rather play at hug o’ war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug.
Where everyone kisses.
And everyone grins.
And everyone cuddles.
And everyone wins.
IT’S DARK IN HERE
I am writing these poems
From inside a lion.
And it’s rather dark in here.
So please excuse the handwriting
Which may not be too clear.
But this afternoon by the lion’s cage
I’m afraid I got too near.
And I’m writing these lines
From inside a lion.
And it’s rather dark in here.
OURCHESTRA
So you haven’t got a drum, just beat your belly.
So I haven’t got a horn-I’ll play my nose.
So we haven’t any cymbals-
We’ll just slap our hands together.
And though there may be orchestras
That sound a little better
With their fancy shiny instruments
That cost an awful lot-
Hey, we’re making music twice as good
By playing what we’ve got!
FLAG
One star is for Alaska …
One star is for Nebraska …
One star is North Dakota …
One star is Minnesota…
There are lots of other stars,
But I forget which ones they are.
COLORS
My skin is kind of sort of brownish
Pinkish yellowish white.
My eyes are greyish blueish green.
But I’m told they look orange in the night.
My hair is reddish blondish brown,
But it’s silver when it’s wet.
And all the colors I am inside
Have not been invented yet.
THE LOSER
Mama said I’d lose my head
If it wasn’t fastened on.
Today I guess it wasn’t
‘Cause while playing with my cousin
It fell off and rolled away
And now it’s gone.
And I can’t look for it
‘Cause my eyes are in it.
And I can’t call to