Where the Sidewalk Ends

"Where the Sidewalk Ends"

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.

-Shel Silverstein

Sheldon Silverstein, born September 25, 1930, is an American poet famous for writing children’s books and poems. One of his most famous works, “Where the Sidewalk Ends” contrasts the dreariness and negativity of adult life to the blissful innocence and happiness of childhood. The first stanza of the poem introduces us to childhood. It is the “place where the sidewalk ends.” The poem, as a whole, advocates for  a return to a simpler state of childhood from the darkness of adulthood. Sidewalks are restricting and are reminiscent of a busy, crowded city. The image of the sidewalk ending into “soft” grass and “peppermint winds” portrays the return to childhood as being a form of release and peace. It is a place where a bird can “rest from his flight,” much like it is a place where adults can retreat and rest from the worries of life.

The second stanza presents Silverstein’s view of adulthood in the context of this poem. This section is predominantly negative. Adulthood is a “place where the smoke blows black.” Smoke is not only toxic, but it also obscures one’s vision. The phrase illustrates how toxic and hurtful adult life is to us, yet we are unable to see through the black screen of smoke. Unlike the previous “place where the sidewalk ends,” the streets here are dark and full of bends. While the dark gives the street its negative connotation, the bends and winds represent how slow and confusing life becomes as an over-thinking adult. Yet despite all this, “we shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow” “to the place where the sidewalk ends”.

The third stanza concludes the poem by reiterating its main ideas. The first line repeats the slow and measured aspect of the walk to “the place where the sidewalks end.” The “we” in the line is meant to represent adults, whose walks are representative of their “slow” and “measured” lives. Live is repeatedly, metaphorically compared to a street whose white arrows lead to the “place where the sidewalks end.” This conveys the idea that reversal to childhood is recommended, if not inevitable. According to Silverstein, children “know” where the place is; they “mark” the arrows. Adults must follow children to reach a simpler, happier life.