Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
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 goTo 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.
The poem "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein is a poem about a place where things are better than the real world. It's where the sidewalk ends (end of the world) where Silverstein says that "And there the grass grows soft and white, And there the sun glows crimson bright" . In this place the sun is much brighter and the grass much softer and it seems to be a better place than earth. It also shows Silverstein's discontent with our current world.
"Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black And the dark street winds and bends. "
This shows that Shel Silverstein wants to free ourselves from this world of pollution and darkness, and instead go to the place where the sidewalk ends. Silverstein acknowledges that it may not be so easy to get beyond the sidewalk, because the walk may be "measured and slow"; however, the speaker is certain that he will meet the challenge with success, because definite "chalk-white" arrows lead the way, giving him a sense of direction.
