Where the Sidewalk Ends

“Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein is a 1974 poem written for younger readers and originally published in his collection of the same name. It was his first full-length work of poetry for children, following The Giving Tree (1964), a work of short children’s fiction. In 1983, Silverstein released "Where the Sidewalk Ends" on cassette, which won him the 1984 Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children. “Where the Sidewalk Ends” is a rhythmic poem that explores themes of imagination, man’s relationship with nature, and the divide between adulthood and childhood.

Poet Biography

Sheldon Allan Silverstein (1930-1999), who wrote as Shel Silverstein, was an American poet, cartoonist, songwriter, and playwright. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, to a Jewish family. After high school, he briefly attended two post-secondary institutions: University of Illinois, from which he was expelled, and the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, which he was forced to leave when he was drafted into the army. His first cartoons were published during this time, and he continued to work toward a career in illustration on his return to Chicago. He began a travel series for Playboy that humorously depicted his experiences in different countries.

Silverstein had never intended to write or draw for a younger audience, but he was encouraged by an editor at Harper & Row who saw his potential. The Giving Tree, which depicts an unbalanced relationship between a little boy and an apple tree, was his first major work for children. Where the Sidewalk Ends was Silverstein’s first collection of poetry for children, and it contains thought-provoking and often darkly humorous poems. He went on to produce several other collections of children’s poetry, including A Light in the Attic (1981) and Falling Up (1996).

In addition to his writing and illustrating, Silverstein was a prolific songwriter who received and was nominated for several musical awards. Among his most famous works are “A Boy Named Sue” for Johnny Cash (1969), and “The Cover of ‘Rolling Stone’” for Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show (1972). He also wrote several one-act plays and short theater sketches over the course of his career. Silverstein never married, but he had two children, one of whom died early in life from an aneurism. He died in 1999 of a heart attack at his home in Key West, Florida. He was posthumously inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002, and the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame in 2014.

Poem Text

Silverstein, Shel. “Where the Sidewalk Ends.” 1974. Poem Hunter.

Summary

In the first stanza, the speaker describes a secret place in between the sidewalk and the street. This place is unusual and otherworldly, with soft white grass and a burning red sun. There are unknown birds here, and the air smells and tastes of peppermint.

Turning to the reader in the second stanza, the speaker asks to leave the hard city behind and go to this new place. One can only get there by walking slowly and intently, following “chalk-white arrows” (Line 11).

In the third stanza, the speaker reveals that the guiding arrows have been left there by “the children” (Line 15), who know how to get to this place better than anyone.