Sick

Shel Silverstein 1930 (Chicago) – 1999



"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more—that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut—my eyes are blue—
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke—
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is—what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"
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Submitted by davidb on March 05, 2023

Modified by davidb on March 05, 2023

1:16 min read
278

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIJKKLLMNOOPPQARA
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,100
Words 242
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 32

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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Discuss the poem Sick with the community...

2 Comments
  • lovingempath
    I almost passed a kidney stone, while trying to hold in my hernia and tend to a nose-bleed; I was laughing so hard :). This is brilliant!
    LikeReply1 year ago
  • Symmetry58
    Every word of this was brilliant and hysterical. I think I used about 94% of these when I was a kidster fighting hard to skip. Funny how Saturdays always seem to cure whatever ails them. LoL
    LikeReply 21 year ago

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"Sick" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/152787/sick>.

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