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DON'T TELL ME

Please don't tell me I should hug, Don't tell me I should care. Don't tell me just how grand I'd feel If I just learned to share. Don't say, "It's all right to cry," "Be kind," "Be fair," "Be true." Just let me see YOU do it, Then I just might do it too.

— Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (Page 177)

THE SEARCH

I went to find the pot of gold That's waiting where the rainbow ends. I searched and searched and searched and searched And searched and searched, and then— There it was, deep in the grass, Under an old and twisty bough. It's mine, it's mine, it's mine at last. . . . What do I search for now?

— Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (Page 166)

If the track is tough and the hill is rough, THINKING you can just ain’t enough!

— Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (Page 158)

Poor, poor fool, why can't you see She can love others and still love thee.

— Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (Page 152)

I WON'T HATCH!

Oh I am a chickie who lives in an egg, But I will not hatch, I will not hatch. The hens they all cackle, the roosters all beg, But I will not hatch, I will not hatch. For I hear all the talk of pollution and war As the people all shout and the airplanes roar, So I'm staying in here where it's safe and it's warm, And I WILL NOT HATCH!

— Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (Page 127)

MA AND GOD

God gave us fingers—Ma says, "Use your fork." God gave us voices—Ma says, "Don't scream. Ma says eat broccoli, cereal and carrots. But God gave us tasteys for maple ice cream.

God gave us fingers—Ma says, "Use your hanky. " God gave us puddles—Ma says, "Don't splash." Ma says, "Be quiet, your father is sleeping. But God gave us garbage can covers to crash.

God gave us fingers—Ma says, "Put your gloves on. God gave us raindrops—Ma says, "Don't get wet." Ma says be careful, and don't get too near to Those strange lovely dogs that God gave us to pet.

God gave us fingers—Ma says, "Go wash 'em." But God gave us coal bins and nice dirty bodies. And I ain't too smart, but there's one thing for certain— Either Ma's wrong or else God is.

— Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (Page 119)

ALICE

She drank from a bottle called DRINK ME And up she grew so tall, She ate from a plate called TASTE ME And down she shrank so small. And so she changed, while other folks Never tried nothin' at all.

— Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (Page 112)

HELPING

Agatha Fry, she made a pie, And Christopher John helped bake it. Christopher John, he mowed the lawn, And Agatha Fry helped rake it. Zachary Zugg took out the rug, And Jennifer Joy helped shake it. And Jennifer Joy, she made a toy, And Zachary Zugg helped break it.

And some kind of help Is the kind of help That helping's all about. And some kind of help Is the kind of help We all can do without.

— Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (Page 101)

POINT OF VIEW

Thanksgiving dinner's sad and thankless Christmas dinner's dark and blue When you stop and try to see it From the turkey's point of view. Sunday dinner isn't sunny Easter feasts are just bad luck When you see it from the viewpoint Of a chicken or a duck. Oh how I once loved tuna salad Pork and lobsters, lamb chops too Till I stopped and looked at dinner From the dinner's point of view.

— Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (Page 98)

NO DIFFERENCE

Small as a peanut, Big as a giant, We're all the same size When we turn off the light. Rich as a sultan, Poor as a mite, We're all worth the same When we turn off the light. Red, black or orange, Yellow or white, We all look the same When we turn off the light. So maybe the way To make everything right Is for God to just reach out And turn off the light!

— Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (Page 81)

He wasted his wishes on wishing.

— Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (Page 69)

EARLY BIRD

Oh, if you're a bird, be an early bird And catch the worm for your breakfast plate. If you're a bird, be an early early bird— But if you're a worm, sleep late.

— Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (Page 30)

LISTEN TO THE MUSTN'TS

Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child, Listen to the DON'TS Listen to the SHOULDN'TS The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TS Listen to the NEVER HAVES Then listen close to me— Anything can happen, child, ANYTHING can be.

— Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (Page 27)

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.

— Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (Page 19)

THE BOOKS I HAVE NOT READ

Here are the books I have not read That I promised to read someday. And who knows? Maybe after Baseball games, circuses and taking naps, Playing drums and building planes, Drinking Cokes and telling jokes And playing spin the bottle, And watching stars and driving cars And getting married and working a job And having kids and getting old And getting fat and getting gray— I may.

— A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein (Page 177)