Where The Sidewalk Ends — Shel Silverstein
it’s coming from down there,
that’s where — down there
yes Sis, I swear!
That horrible smell
that’s filling the air,
the one that’s most certainly
impossible to bear,
is coming from that women
with the massive blue hair
sitting alone on the patio chair,
on the deck of the house,
that’s below us — right there!
What a putrid aroma,
you’d think that she’d care,
that there’s simply some things
that one never should share,
like the stink that is rising
from that patio chair,
on the deck of the house
that’s below us — down there.
the smell is outrageous
it’s terribly crass
look, it knocked our poor Rover
right flat on his ass.
And the hideous color
of that mountain of hair —
I can’t help it, can’t help it,
I can’t help but stare.
it’s tangled and horrible
and it’s disgusting too
an eye-blinding nightmarish
shade of bright blue —
and it’s causing a feeling
of nausea too!
I must look away
my heads starting to whirl,
and I feel that my toes
are beginning to curl,
I fear over the edge here
I’m going to hurl —
and I don’t want to do that
in front of a girl.
Maybe I’m wrong
but I would assume,
if one’s going to bathe
in a noxious perfume,
they’d at least have good manners
and exhibit some pride,
and not foul the ozone,
instead — stay inside,
and not be the cause
of such a mind-numbing fume
but keep the eco-disaster
contained in one room.
And if you’re chromatically challenged my friend,
consider the others that you might offend.
A monumentally grotesque rat’s nest of blue,
is not something I care to look at on you!
Look Sis, look look, look quickly down there,
that woman is getting up out of her chair.
oh joy, for joy, that’s all I can say,
thank our lucky stars, she is going away!
I hope away she will stay
for the rest of the day,
or as long as the damned wind
keeps on blowin’ this way.
revision © 2021
More poetry at: dVerse
OLN poetry at: dVerse
???? Rob ????
Went to the fantasy writing well on this David. Hope you liked it! I love shel so this is a pleasure for me.
???????????? Excellent Rob!
Thank you so much Ingrid. I typed the very first draft for do blue late summer 1999, shortly after Shel’s death. My first finished post of the poem was in 2010 — thdn this ginal revision, prompted by Shel sparking today’s prompt. I had forgotten I even wrote it until I had an epiphany today.
Rob, those question marks were supposed to be applause. This perhaps explains David’s comment too!
My site has been up over 17 years without ever a Theme platform change — so it foes not recognize emojis, other tha the early smile… which is first : folloed by ) looks like this 🙂 whe typed side by side.
Enjoyed this! I think Shel Silverstein was probably the first poetry book I ever read as a child. The style never gets old when done right, and you’ve captured the whimsical fun, here!
Thank you Tricia… 🙂
OKAY! You already posted a prose response to the prompt –
so I will take this as an addendum that speaks to the poet, his style, etc — an extra sharing beyond the prompt. Lest anyone think I am playing favorites by leaving it in Mr. Linky since it’s not prose……understand all…
* the prose response is already posted, following the prompt
* this is an extra that Rob wants to share with us RE Shel Silverstein
* and I love it! You’ve definitely captured his style.
PS: I think you should read this aloud at our upcoming OLN Live! 🙂
Thank you very much Lillian, I appreciate that you were understanding of the spirit in which I posted this — and I would be fine if you felt it better to take it down. As I look in hindsight, I should not have put you in this position. I was caught up in Shelmania. Also thank you for your very kind words. I will read it aloud at our next OLNLive, will be fun… 😉
Such whimsey and humor, it made me chuckle, snort and chortle. It is so very Shel, yet tinged with Dr. Seuss too. I loved your reference to MAGPIE TALES. I have not kept up with Tess since she moved to England. I wonder if she has a new poetry blog?
Glad it lit up your funny bone Glenn enjoyed the hell out of reading it today… 🙂
I SO enjoyed hearing you read this delightful gem of a poem, Rob! My cheeks hurt from laughing but hey that’s what happens when you read fantastic poetry! Salute!
That makes me feel so good Sanaa, that you had such a good time laughing. Thank you! 🙂
This fantastic. Rob. And I enjoyed your reading at Open Link Live.
Thank you Ken, it was fun!
You made me laugh out loud with this one! I think we all have run into a woman like that! Whew! It really does knock you over! Such great lines you have written! I love it.
Glad this resonated for you Dwight! It was certainly fun to have refined it over the 22 yeas since Shel died.
Marge Simpson develops schizophrenia and becomes your neighbor. Got it. Shel would be pleased with this one Rob.
Thank you Lisa. Like the Marge Simpson things…:)
Thank you so much for the wonderful performance of your poem, Rob, your delivery was perfect in your amazing voice! I’m chortling all over again while reading it this morning. Too many excellent funny rhymes to pick individual ones, but I really giggled at this stanza:
‘I must look away
my heads starting to whirl,
and I feel that my toes
are beginning to curl,
I fear over the edge here
I’m going to hurl —
and I don’t want to do that
in front of a girl.’
I have great sympathy with your character, as I too have this kind of a reaction to noxious perfume, to which I am allergic. I can only wear certain types of very natural perfume (L’Occitane and Miller Harris are the safest). Chanel No. 5 and other such concoctions bring me out in a rash and literally take my breath away.
I also enjoyed the Shel Silverstein videos and realised I knew the Unicorn Song – I’m sure I saw Doctor Hook perform it on television many years ago.
You are so welcome Kim! It was great fun to revisit that piece. Writing thr original draft in 1999 was memorable because I loved Shel. It has has been revised a couple more times — 2010 and this week 2021. Always fun to work this piece!
This is awesome!
Thank you M Jay… 🙂
Love this humour around the poem Rob! The beauty of it is the perfect rhyming with the correctly chosen words in their right places Regretfully Hank didn’t get to hear you read it live.
Hank
Bjorn recorded the OLN Live session Hank, so its up on the dVerse site on the OLN page. You can hear all the poets that read yesterday (Thursday).
Marvelous channeling of Silverstein! (and even though it appears to be an old one, do I detect the NaPoWriMo prompt here?)
Thank you Xan!
So much fun reading this… I never grew up with the children’s book Shel… as I said on the call it was more the songs by dr Hook that I learned about his poetry.
Glad you enjoyed this Bjorn. I loved Shel!
or as long as the damned wind
keeps on blowin’ this way.
That’s it! As long as life goes on as intended and desired nothing should change except for the better. Great close Rob!
Hank
Definitely Hank! 🙂