THE LITTLE BOY AND THE OLD MAN
Said the little boy, "Sometimes I drop my spoon."
Said the little old man, "I do that too."
The little boy whispered, "I wet my pants."
"I do that too," laughed the little old man.
Said the little boy, "I often cry."
The old man nodded, "So do I."
"But worst of all," said the boy, "it seems
Grown-ups don't pay attention to me."
And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.
"I know what you mean," said the little old man.
-- Shel Silverstein from A Light in the Attic
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11 comments:
Got goosebumps. I love those connections and it couldn't have been written better.
Are you trying to tell us that you're feeling old and need a visit? :)
Mona - I love getting good goosebumps! Shel is a beautiful writer.
Brock - I think not, too. (can I say that?)
Feather Sky - yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you. You should visit soon. Before I get too decrepit to recognize you ;) If you come for Christmas, I could use a little denture cream...
I was thinking deodorant, but I guess denture cream would be good too ;)
*jerk!*
If I didn't bug ya, no one would :)
OK, OK, so everyone would still bug you. I just wanted my piece of the pie!
I love this poem, not just because it is simple and true, but because I think that deep inside each of us there is a "little boy," and a "old man." The world would be much better if the part of us that lies between each of those would just listen to both. Not to mention less stressfull.
Feather Sky - thanks for your contribution. Heaven forbid there should be any spare pie *raspberry* (I think you've been hanging around Quiet Elk too long)
Olsen - couldn't agree more.
I love this poem. The problem is that is makes me want to see my grandchildren so I can identify with them.
One of my co-workers says she has a sign at her house that says something along the lines of "Grandchildren welcome anytime. Their parents need permission".
I saw a sign at a friends house that said "This house is childproofed. I don't know how they keep getting in." :)
reminds me of Shakespeare, in his poem The Seven Ages of Man... he calls old age "second child hood"..
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