1.

INVITATION (Where the Sidewalk Ends)

If you are a dreamer, come in,
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer
If youre a pretender, come sit by my fire
For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!
2. HOW MANY, HOW MUCH (A Light in the Attic)
How many slams in an old screen door?
Depends how loud you shut it.
How many slices in a bread?
Depends how thin you cut it.
How much good inside a day?
Depends how good you live em.
How much love inside a friend?
Depends how much you give em.
3. LISTEN TO THE MUSTNTS (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
Listen to the MUSTNTS, child,
Listen to the DONTS
Listen to the SHOULDNTS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WONTS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then lost close to me
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.
4. MASKS (Every Thing On It)
She had blue skin.
And so did he.
He kept it hid
And so did she.
They searched for blue
Their whole life through,
Then passed right by
And never knew.

5. PANCAKE? (Where the Sidewalk Ends)

Who wants a pancake,
Sweet and piping hot?
Good little Grace looks up and says,
Ill take the one on top.
Who else wants a pancake,
Fresh off the griddle?
Terrible Theresa smiles and says,
Ill take the one in the middle.
6. SNOWBALL (Falling Up)
I made myself a snowball
As perfect as could be.
I thought Id keep it as a pet
And let it sleep with me.
I made it some pajamas
And a pillow for its head.
Then last night it ran away,
But firstit wet the bed.
7. SOMETHING MISSING (A Light in the Attic)
I remember I put on my socks,
I remember I put on my shoes.
I remember I put on my tie
That was printed
In beautiful purples and blues.
I remember I put on my coat,
To look perfectly grand at the dance,

Yet I feel there is something

I may have forgot
What is it? What is it?...
8. UNDERFACE (Every Thing On It)
Underneath my outside face
Theres a face that none can see.
A little less smiley,
A little less sure,
But a whole lot more like me.
9. I WONT HATCH (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
Oh I am a chicken who lives in an egg,
But I will not hatch, I will not hatch.
The hens they all cackle, the roosters all beg,
But I will not hatch, I will not hatch.
For I hear all the talk of pollution and war
As the people all shout and the airplanes roar,
So Im staying in here where its safe and its warm,
And I WILL NOT HATCH!
10. PUT SOMETHING IN (A Light in the Attic)
Draw a crazy picture,
Write a nutty poem,
Sing a mumble-gumble song,
Whistle through your comb.
Do a loony-goony dance
Cross the kitchen floor,
Put something silly in the world
That aint been there before.
11. YESEES AND NOEES (Every Thing On It)
The Yesees said yes to anything
That anyone suggested.
The Noees said no to everything
Unless it was proven and tested.
So the Yesees all died of much too much
And the Noees all died of fright,
But somehow I think the Thinkforyourselfees
All came out all right.
12. HUG OWAR (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
I will not play tug o war.
Id rather play hug o war,

Where everyone hugs

Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.
13. RIDICULOUS ROSE (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
Her mama said, Dont eat with your fingers.
OK, said Ridiculous Rose,
So she ate with her toes.
14. MONSTERS IVE MET (A Light in the Attic)
I met a ghost, but he didnt want my head,
He only wanted to know the way to Denver.
I met a devil, but he didnt want my soul,
He only wanted to borrow my bike awhile.
I met a vampire, but he didnt want my blood,
He only wanted to nickels for a dime.
I keep meeting all the right people
At all the wrong times.
15. EARLY BIRD (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
Oh, if youre a bird, be an early bird
And catch the worm for your breakfast plate.
If youre a bird, be an early bird
But if youre a worm, sleep late.
16. JAKE SAYS (Every Thing On It)
Yes, I'm adopted.
My folks were not blessed
With me in the usual way.
But they picked me,
They chose me
From all the rest,
Which is lots more than most kids can say.
17. COLORS (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
My skin is kind of sort of brownish
Pinkish yellowish white.
My eyes are grayish blueish green,
But Im told they look orange in the night.

My hair is reddish blondish brown,

But its silver when its wet.
And all the colors I am inside
Have not been invented yet.
18. MAGIC (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
Sandras seen a leprechaun,
Eddie touched a troll,
Laurie danced with witches once,
Charlie found some goblins gold.
Donald heard a mermaid sing,
Susy spied an elf,
But all the magic I have known
Ive had to make myself.
19. LITTLE PIGS TREAT (Falling Up)
Said the pig to his pop,
Theres the candy shop.
Oh, please lets go inside.
And I promise I wont
Make a kid of myself
If you give me a people-back ride.
20. FALLING UP (Falling Up)
I tripped on my shoelace
And I fell up
Up to the roof tops,
Up over the town,
Up past the tree tops,
Up over the mountains,
Up where the colors
Blend into the sounds.
But it got me so dizzy
When I looked around,
I got sick to my stomach
And I threw down.
21. FISH? (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
The little fish eats the tiny fish,
The big fish eats the little fish
So only the biggest fish gets fat.
Do you know any folks like that?
22. OURCHESTRA (Where the Sidewalk Ends)

So you havent got a drum, just beat your belly.

So I havent got a hornIll play my nose.
So we havent any cymbals
Well just slap our hands together,
And though there may be orchestras
That sound a little better
With their fancy shiny instruments
That cost an awful lot
Hey, were making music twice as good
By playing what weve got!
23. MORGANS CURSE (Falling Up)
Followin the trail on the old treasure map,
I came to the spot that said, Dig right here.
And four feet down my spade struck wood
Just where the map said a chest would appear.
But carved in the side were written these words:
A curse upon he who disturbs this gold.
Signed, Morgan the Pirate, Scourge of the Seas.
I read these words and my blood ran cold.
So here I set upon untold wealth
Tryin to figure which is worse:
How much do I need this gold?
And how much do I need this curse?
24. THE EDGE OF THE WORLD (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
Columbus said the world is round?
Dont you believe a word of that.
For Ive been down to the edge of the world,
Sat on the edge where the wild wind whirled,
Peeked over the ledge where the blue smoke curls,
And I can tell you, boys and girls,
The world is FLAT!
25. THE PLANET OF MARS (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
On the planet of Mars
They have clothes just like ours,
And they have the same shoes and same laces,
And they have the same charms and same graces,
And they have the same heads and same faces
But not in the
Very same
Places.
26. ITS DARK IN HERE (Where the Sidewalk Ends)

I am writing these poems

From inside a lion,
And its rather dark in here.
So please excuse the handwriting
Which may not be too clear.
But this afternoon by the lions cage
Im afraid I got too near.
And Im writing these lines
From inside a lion,
And its rather dark in here.
27. COMPLAININ JACK (Falling Up)
This morning my old jack-in-the-box
Popped outand wouldnt get back-in-the-box.
He cried, Hey, theres a tack-in-the-box,
And its cutting me through and through.
There also is a crack-in-the-box,
And I never find a smack-in-the-box,
And sometimes I hear a quack-in-the-box,
Cause a duck lives in here, too.
Complain, complain is all he did
I finally had to close the lid.
28. STONE AIRPLANE (Falling Up)
I made an airplane out of stone
I always did like staying home.

29. INVENTION (Where the Sidewalk Ends)

Ive done it, Ive done it!

Guess what Ive done!
Invented a light that plugs into the sun.
The sun is bright enough,
The bulb is strong enough,
But, oh, theres only one thing wrong
The cord aint long enough.
30. WHO (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
Who can kick a football
From here out to Afghanistan?
I can!
Who fought tigers in the street
While all the policemen ran and hid?
I did!
Who will fly and have X-ray eyes
And be known as the man no bullet can kill?
I will!
Who can sit and tell lies all night?
I might!
31. THE FOURTH (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
Oh
CRASH!
my
BASH!
its
BANG
the
ZANG!
Fourth
WHOOSH!
of
BAROOM!
July
WHEW!
32. I MUST REMEMBER (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
I must remember
Turkey on Thanksgiving,
Pudding on Christmas,
Eggs on Easter,
Chicken on Sunday,
Fish on Friday,
Leftovers, Monday,

But ah, meIm such a dunce.

I went and ate them all at once.
33. SCALE (Falling Up)
If I could only see the scale,
Im sure that it would state
That Ive lost ounces maybe pounds
Or even tons of weight.
Youd better eat some pancakes
Youre skinny as a rail.
Im sure thats what the scale would say
If I could see the scale.
34. THE ACROBATS (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
Ill swing
By my ankles,
Shell cling
To your knees
As you hang
By your nose
From a high-up
Trapeze.
But just one thing, please,
Dont sneeze.
35. A LIGHT IN THE ATTIC (A Light in the Attic)
Theres a light on in the attic.
Though the house is dark and shuttered,
I can see a flickerin flutter,
And I know what its about.
Theres a light on in the attic.
I can see it from the outside,
And I know youre on the inside lookin out.
36. THE WORST (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
When singing songs of scariness,
Of bloodiness and hairyness,
I feel obligated at this moment to remind you
Of the most ferocious beat of all:
Three thousand pounds and nine feet tall
The Glurpy Slurpy Skakagrall
Whos standing right behind you.

37. CRYSTAL BALL (Falling Up)

Come see your life in my crystal glass
Twenty-five cents is all you pay.
Let me look into your past
Heres what you had for lunch today:
Tuna salad and mashed potatoes,
Green pea soup and apple juice,
Collard greens and stewed tomatoes,
Chocolate milk and lemon mousse.
You admit Ive told it all?
Well, I know it, I confess,
Not by looking in my ball,
But just by looking at your dress.
38. HOW NOT TO HAVE TO DRY THE DISHES (Falling Up)
If you have to dry the dishes
(Such an awful, boring chore)
If you have to dry the dishes
(Stead of going to the store)
If you have to dry the dishes
And you drop one on the floor
Maybe they wont let you
Dry the dishes anymore.
39. WARNING (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
Inside everybodys nose

There lives a sharp-toothed snail.

So if you stick your finger in,
He may bite off your nail.
Stick it farther up inside,
And he may bite your ring off.
Stick it all the way, and he
May bite the whole darn thing off.
40. CAPTAIN HOOK (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
Captain Hook must remember
Not to scratch his toes.
Captain Hook must watch out
And never pick his nose.
Captain Hook must be gentle
When he shakes your hand.
Captain hook must be careful
Openin sardine cans
And playing tag and pouring tea
and turnin pages of this book.
Lots of folks Im glad I aint
But mostly Captain Hook!
41. MY ZOOOTCH (Every Thing On It)
I never have nightmares,
Im happy to say.
The Zoootch on my bed
Always scares em away.
42. NOPE (Falling Up)
I put a piece of cantaloupe
Underneath the microscope,
I saw a million strange things sleepin,
I sawa zillion weird things creepin,
I saw some green things twist and bend
I wont eat cantaloupe again.
43. MY RULES (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
If you want to marry me, heres what youll have to do:
You must learn how to make a perfect chicken-dumpling stew.
And you must sew my holey socks,
And soothe my troubled mind,
And develop the knack for scratching my back,
And keep my shoes spotlessly shined.
And while I rest you must rake up the leaves,
And when its hailing and snowing

You must shovel the walk and be still when I talk,

Andheywhere are you going?
44. DIVING BOARD (Falling Up)
Youve been up on that diving board
Making sure that its nice and straight.
Youve made sure that its not too slick.
Youve made sure it can stand the weight.
Youve made sure that the spring is tight.
Youve made sure that the cloth wont slip.
Youve made sure that it bounces right,
And that your toes can get a grip
And youve been up there since half past five
Doin everything but DIVE.

45. HAPPY ENDING? (Every Thing On It)

There are no happy endings.
Endings are the saddest part,
So just give me a happy middle
And a very happy start.
46. YEARS FROM NOW (Every Thing On It)
Although I cannot see your face
As you flip these poems awhile,
Somewhere from some far-off place
I hear you laughingand I smile.