Read Where The Sidewalk Ends for Free Online Page B

“Hello.”
    And the greatest of men would be silly and lazy
    So I would be king … if the world was crazy.

    STONE TELLING
    How do we tell if a window is open?
    Just throw a stone at it.
    Does it make a noise?
    It doesn’t?
    Well, it was open.
    Now let’s try another…
    CRASH!
    It wasn’t!
    CHESTER
    Chester come to school and said,
    “Durn, I growed another head.”
    Teacher said,”It’s time you knowed
    The word is ‘grew’ instead of ‘growed.’ ”
    THE SILVER FISH
    While fishing in the blue lagoon
    I caught a lovely silver fish.
    And he spoke to me. “My boy,” quoth he,
    “Please set me free and I’ll grant your wish …
    A kingdom of wisdom? A palace of gold?
    Or all the goodies your fancies can hold?”
    So I said, “OK,” and I threw him free.
    And he swam away and he laughed at me
    Whispering my foolish wish
    Into a silent sea,
    Today I caught that fish again.
    That lovely silver prince of fishes,
    And once again he offered me-
    If I would only set him free-
    Any one of a number of wonderful wishes….
    He was delicious!

    FORGOTTEN LANGUAGE
    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?

    THE GENERALS
    Said General Clay to General Gore,
    “Oh must we fight this silly war?
    To kill and die is such a bore.”
    “I quite agree,” said General Gore.

    Said General Gore to General Clay,
    “We could go to the beach today
    And have some ice cream on the way.”
    “A grand idea,” said General Clay.
    Said General Clay to General Gore,
    “We’ll build sand castles on the shore.”
    Said General Gore, “We’ll splash and play.
    “Let’s leave right now,” said General Clay.
    Said General Gore to General Clay,
    “But what if the sea is closed today?
    And what if the sand’s been blown away?”
    “A dreadful thought,” said General Clay.
    Said General Gore to General Clay,
    “I’ve always feared the ocean’s spray,
    And we may drown!” “It’s true, we may.
    It chills my blood,” said General Clay.
    Said General Clay to General Gore,
    “My bathing suit is slightly tore.
    We’d better go on with our war.”
    “I quite agree,” said General Gore.
    Then General Clay charged General Gore
    As bullets flew and cannons roared.
    And now, alas! there is no more
    Of General Clay or General Gore.

    JUST ME, JUST ME
    Sweet Marie, she loves just me
    (She also loves Maurice McGhee).
    No she don’t, she loves just me
    (She also loves Louise Dupree).
    No she don’t, she loves just me
    (She also loves the willow tree).
    No she don’t, she loves just me!
    (Poor, poor fool, why can’t you see
    She can love others and still love thee.)
    STANDING
    Standing on my elbow
    With my finger in my ear,
    Biting on a dandelion.
    And humming kind of queer
    While I watched a yellow caterpillar
    Creeping up my wrist,
    I leaned on a tree
    And I said to me,
    “Why am I doing this?”

    THE ONE WHO STAYED
    You should have heard the old men cry.
    You should have heard the biddies
    When that sad stranger raised his flute
    And piped away the kiddies.
    Katy, Tommy,Meg and Bob
    Followed, skipping gaily.
    Red-haired Ruth, my brother Rob,
    And little crippled Bailey,
    John and Nils and Cousin Claire,
    Dancin’, spinnin’, turnin’
    ‘Cross the hills to God knows where-
    They never came returnin’.
    ‘Cross the hills to God knows where
    The piper pranced, a leadin’
    Each child in Hamlin Town but me.
    And I stayed home unheedin’.
    My papa says that I was blest
    For if that music found me,
    I’d be witch-cast like all the rest.
    This town grows old around me.
    I cannot say I did not hear
    That sound so haunting hollow-
    I heard, I heard, I heard it clear