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
This is a poem that reminds me of my childhood. I remember exactly what Shel Silversteins book looks like, and can paint a vivid picture of it in my head. I can remember sitting in my room, and my mother reading me this poem. Now that I am older, I read this poem a different way, and interpret it differently. When I was younger of course, I thought there was a place, almost like a cliff, where the “sidewalk ended”, but now I understand the true meaning of this poem.
This poem is trying to remind readers of a place they forgot about. I place where they had not visited since their childhood. Silverstein is reminding you of taking a journey in your imagination, and letting go of the worries of your life, even if it is only for a few minutes. It is a shame that the innosence you have as a child is lost as you get older, and you lose the ability to go to the place “where the sidewalk ends”.
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends
This passage is reminding adults that children always go to the place “where the sidewalk ends”, because they still have the ability to use their imagination, and break away from the world, and just be children. Silverstein is trying to get adults to do the same, and making sure we did not forget about the place at the end of the sidewalk.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends
I like in that passage how Silverstein talks about the world as an evil place, because it truely is! Silversteins careful word choice really gets his point across in this passage. He is reminding adults to escape this dark place, which is everyday life in the world, and be a child again.
This poem was one of my favorites growing up, and now that I am older, it still it. It was nice to read it again and be reminded to go to the place at the end of the sidewalk, and not to forget about it! We all need to take a step back from our busy, chaotic lives, and do something for ourselves once in a while and go to the end of the sidewalk.
