Chapter 4 4

Listen to the MUSTNTS, child, Listen to the DONTS Listen to the SHOULDNTS The IMPOSSIBLES, the WONTS Listen to the NEVER HAVES Then listen close to me- Anything can happen, child, ANYTHING can be. Ill tell you the story of Jimmy Jet- And you know what I tell you is true. He loved to watch his TV set almost as much as you. He watched all day, he watched all night Till he grew pale and lean, From "The Early Show" to "The Late Late Show" And all the shows between. He watched till his eyes were frozen wide, And his bottom grew into his chair.

And his chin turned into a tuning dial, And antennae grew out of his hair. And his brains turned into TV tubes, And his face to a TV screen. And two knobs saying "VERT" and "HORIZ." Grew where his ears had been. And he grew a plug that looked like a tail So we plugged in little Jim. And now instead of him watching TV We all sit around and watch him. Oh, if youre a bird, be an early bird And catch the worm for your breakfast plate. If youre a bird, be an early early bird- But if you have a worm, sleep late. A piece of sky Broke off and fell Through the crack in the ceiling

Right into my soup, KERPLOP! I really must state That I usually hate Lentil soup, but I ate Every drop! Delicious delicious (A bit like plaster), But so delicious, goodness sake- I could have eaten a lentil-soup lake. It's amazing the difference A bit of sky can make. Oh, Im being eaten By a boa constrictor, A boa constrictor, A boa constrictor, Im being eaten by a boa constrictor, And I dont like it--one bit. Well, what do you know? Its nibblin my toe. Oh, gee, Its up to my knee. Oh my, Its up to my thigh. Oh, fiddle, Its up to my middle.

Oh, heck, Its up to my neck. Oh, dread, Its upmmmmmmmmmmffffffffff . . . Once I spoke the language of the flowers, Once I understood each word the caterpillar said, Once I smiled in secret at the gossip of the starlings, And shared a conversation with the housefly in my bed. Once I heard and answered all the questions of the crickets, And joined the crying of each falling dying flake of snow, Once I spoke the language of the flowers. . . . How did it go? How did it go? Buy Shel Silversteins Poetry If you were only one inch tall, you'd ride a worm to school.

The teardrop of a crying ant would be your swimming pool. A crumb of cake would be a feast And last you seven days at least, A flea would be a frightening beast If you were one inch tall. If you were only one inch tall, youd walk beneath the door, And it would take about a month to get down to the store. A bit of fluff would be your bed, You'd swing upon a spiders thread, And wear a thimble on your head If you were one inch tall. You'd surf across the kitchen sink upon a stick of gum. You couldn't hug your mama, youd just have to hug her thumb. You'd run from peoples feet in fright,

To move a pen would take all night, (This poem took fourteen years to write-- Cause Im just one inch tall). I opened my eyes And looked up at the rain, And it dripped in my head And flowed into my brain, And all that I hear as I lie in my bed Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head. I step very softly, I walk very slow, I cant do a handstand-- I might overflow, So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said-- Im just not the same since theres rain in my head. 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 well walk with a walk that is measured and slow, And well go where the chalk-white arrows go, For the children, they mark, and the children, they know The place where the sidewalk ends.