Where the Sidewalk Ends discussion

One of the things that I learned from reading the poetry book: Where The Sidewalk ends was that I can write poetry about quite literally anything that I want. Shel Silverstein’s poems are about nearly anything, including the fourth of July. The really interesting thing about this poem is how short it is, and how ‘untraditional’ it is. The poem alternates lines with one word each, every other word being an onomatopoeia. Through the “freedom” of this poem and its lighthearted nature, I learned that I can write about whatever I like, from the fourth of july, to fish, to other random goofy stories.

Another thing that I learned is that I can write my Ideas (specifically poetry) in any way that I like. Like the poem that I mentioned above, it was written in a form that is very unique and, sort of “informal”. This poem’s lines are separated by onomatopoeias that pertain to sounds of the fourth of July, giving an extra level of fun to Shel Silverstein’s poem. This sort of “freedom” in being able to write how someone wants to is really refreshing, and makes writing feel so much more fun. It makes me realize once again how what I write is entirely in my hands.

Third, it really hit me that writing doesn’t need to be philosophical, formal, or with any super-deep meaning. Poetry has always seemed to have a sort of weight to it. Almost always we think of poetry as a method of expressing emotion through metaphor. But this poetry book is chock full of poems that (as far as I know) have no deep meaning, no metaphor for emotion. Many of them are fun stories simply put into a poetic format, and many are just fun rhymes. Again, like the other three things that I learned from reading this book, they all tie into one major thing. I can write whatever I want, however I want, without needing it to have an Important meaning. This book reinforced the idea of freedom that goes along with writing.