Dream Fuel

Night, night, story time was great when I was little. My mormor (grandma) read to me every night. Since my mormor and I took turns picking books I was fortunate to hear a variety of stories, fables, and nursery rhymes. Finding a story that I didn’t enjoy was few and far between but my mormor was shocked by my favorite “story” book(s) were a set; or so I thought. As I grew up I learned that “A Light in the Attic,” “Falling Up,” and “Where the Sidewalk Ends” are not a set; they aren’t even story books. They are all poetry collections written by Shel Silverstein.

Shel Silverstein is the author I have loved longest. The memories I have of my mormor reading these books to me are some of my dearest memories. For example, at least twice a week my bedtime would go right out the window because we would be too busy laughing; whether it be at the poem itself or the doodle pictures that Shel drew as the illustrations.

I recently became a mormor myself and I cannot wait until my grandson is old enough to appreciate the humor of these books. Right now he isn’t even a year old so I have to wait; not to worry, it’s just more time to collect the rest of Shel Silverstein’s books, like “The Giving Tree.”

I have a favorite poem in each book, of course, but all three books are great cover to cover. The first poem I’m going to share is from “Where the Sidewalk Ends” on page 141:

Dreadful

Someone ate the baby.

It's rather sad to say.

Someone ate the baby

So she won't be out to play.

We'll never hear her whiney cry

Or have to feel if she is dry.

We'll never hear her asking 'Why?'

Someone ate the baby.

Someone ate the baby.

It's absolutely clear

Someone ate the baby

'Cause the baby isn't here.

We'll give away her toys and clothes.

We'll never have to wipe her nose.

Dad says, 'That's the way it goes.'

Someone ate the baby.

Someone ate the baby.

What a frightful thing to eat!

Someone ate the baby

Though she wasn't very sweet.

It was a heartless thing to do.

The policemen haven't got a clue.

I simply can't imagine who

Would go and (burp) eat the baby.

This has always been one of my favorite poems. I know it’s a horrible poem to like but as a child I found it so funny that someone “ate a baby” and then burps at the end, all while acting like he didn’t do anything. I think it was so funny to me because my mormor always used a different voice when she’d read it to me.

Next is my favorite poem from the book “Falling Up,” on page 58:

WRITER WAITING

Oh this shiny new computer–

There just isn’t nothin’ cuter.

It knows everything the world ever knew.

And with this great computer

I don’t need no writin’ tutor,

‘Cause there ain’t a single thing that it can’t do.

It can sort and it can spell,

It can punctuate as well.

It can find and file and underline and type.

It can edit and select,

It can copy and correct,

So I’ll have a whole book written by tonight

(Just as soon as it can think of what to write).

As a writer I think this poem perfectly captures how a writer feels when they have writers block. Now, as a child I liked it because after my mormor read it I could always think of something to write; usually it was a list of some kind because I was a little kid.

Last, is my favorite from “A Light in the Attic,” located on page 65:

OVERDUES

What do I do?

What do I do?

This library book is 42

Years overdue.

I admit that it's mine

But I can't pay the fine--

Should I turn it in

Or hide it again?

What do I do?

What do I do?

When I was a kid we would go to the library and pick books so the thought of someone having a library book for forty-two years was straight comedy. I still can’t fathom someone not returning a library for anything over a week.

Shel Silverstein opened my young mind to poetry; then to simple yet meaning short stories like “The Giving Tree.” I was a fan of these books and their author before I knew who Dr. Seuss was. If you have never heard of or read anything by Shel Silverstein, I recommend you look into his works. It is my feeling that people will be intrigued by the titles and art, then come to realize how much they enjoyed the read.