Where The Sidewalk Ends

Shel Silverstein 1930 (Chicago) – 1999



There is a place where the sidewalk ends
and before the street begins,
and there the grass grows soft and white,
and there the sun burns crimson bright,
and there the moon-bird rests from his flight
to cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
and the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
we shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow
and watch where the chalk-white arrows go
to the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
and we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
for the children, they mark, and the children, they know,
the place where the sidewalk ends.
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Submitted by davidb on February 06, 2022

Modified on May 03, 2023

42 sec read
358

Quick analysis:

Scheme AXBBBX XACCCA CCCA
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 691
Words 138
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 4

Shel Silverstein

Sheldon Allan Silverstein was an American writer, poet, cartoonist, singer-songwriter, musician, and playwright. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended university before being drafted into the United States Army. more…

All Shel Silverstein poems | Shel Silverstein Books

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1 Comment
  • Symmetry58
    When seemingly menial subject matter can be shaped into a work of art, you know you've encountered artistry created by the hand of an artisan.
    LikeReply1 year ago

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"Where The Sidewalk Ends" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/119222/where-the-sidewalk-ends>.

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From which London landmark did Wordsworth celebrate the view in his poem beginning: "Earth has not any thing to show more fair..."
A Waterloo Sunset
B Hampstead Heath
C The Tower of London
D Westminster Bridge