What the Shel is Going On?

Do you remember the days when you'd sit, reading Where the Sidewalk Ends, spending hours on end trying to comprehend what in the world Shel Silverstein was saying? His drawings, of course, complimented his quirky poems, but a lot of his poems had really deep messages that, as kids, we probably didn't fully comprehend. 

A lot of Silverstein’s poems are extremely upbeat, sometimes bizarre, and always heart-warming because they usually give an encouraging message. The poems are geared towards children – for the most part – and often teach important lessons about individuality and expressing oneself.

Many people don't know that Shel Silverstein is actually a veteran of the United States Army, having served in multiple foreign countries during his service. Additionally, he didn’t have the easiest adult life, having lost his first wife and his first child when she was only 11 years old. I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose a child, but I’ve had my own experiences with loss and I know how difficult it is to turn these bad experiences into something positive and uplifting. Silverstein also had a son with a second woman after losing basically his entire first family, but I think that the pain of losing a child never truly leaves someone.

I’d like to imagine that a lot of his poems are geared toward what he would tell his children, like the kind of advice a father would give, but wants to give it to as many people as possible since it would be a sort of way to “make up” for the lessons that he wasn’t able to teach his daughter who passed away.

One poem that really speaks to me is the following:

Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child,
      Listen to the DON'TS
      Listen to the SHOULDN'TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WONT'S
      Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me-
      Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be

Something about this poem really resonates with me because it reminds me of a childhood lesson I learned. My dad was born in the USSR to a Jewish family where Judaism was severely looked down upon. He was a really skilled fencer and won a national tournament, but the title was given to the runner up because my dad was Jewish and they didn’t want a Jew to win. He didn’t let this experience discourage him, however, and when he came to the United States he worked extra hard at everything he did – and became extremely successful later in life. Silverstein’s poem isn’t exceptional in figurative language or creative structure – but the message is clear and gives a reassuring message to children. That’s really all it needs to be to be remembered – clear, concise, and correct.

Another poem I really like is “Masks.”

Taken from Tumblr

This poem is clearly about expressing individuality and not being afraid to be different, because by hiding one’s true identity and masquerading as something fake you’ll miss out on others who may be secretly like you but also afraid to reveal their true identity. There is nothing more important than remaining true to oneself, and as many of the poems written by “Uncle Shelby” state, uniqueness should be celebrated.