Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

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