Silverstein, Shel, and Shel Silverstein. Falling Up : Poems and Drawings. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. Print.
All of the poems on this page were selected from the book Falling Up.
My Sneaky Cousin
She put in her clothes,
Then thought she’d get
A free bath here
At the launderette.
So round she goes now,
Flippity-flappy,
Lookin’ clean--
But not too happy.
Safe?
I look to the left,
I look to the right,
Before I ever
Move my feet.
No cars to the left,
No cars to the right,
I guess it’s safe
To cross the street . . . .
Diving Board
You’ve been up on that diving board
Making sure that it’s nice and straight.
You’ve made sure that it’s not too slick.
You’ve made sure it can stand the weight.
You’ve made sure that the spring is tight.
You’ve made sure that the cloth won’t slip.
You’ve made sure that it bounces right,
And that your toes can get a grip--
And you’ve been up there since half past five
Doin’ everything . . . but DIVE!
Needles and Pins
Needles and pins,
Needles and pins,
Sew me a sail
To catch me the wind.
Sew me a sail
Strong as the gale,
Carpenter, bring out your
Hammers and nails.
Hammer and nails,
Hammer and nails,
Build me a boat
To go chasing the whales.
Chasing the whales,
Sailing the blue,
Find me a captain
And sign me a crew.
Captain and crew,
Captain and crew,
Take me, oh take me
To anywhere new.
Nope
I put a piece of cantaloupe
Underneath the microscope.
I saw a million strange things sleepin’,
I saw a zillion weird things creepin’,
I saw some green things twist and bend–
I won’t eat cantaloupe again.
Advice
William Tell, William Tell,
Take your arrow, grip it well,
There’s the apple–aim for the middle–
Oh well. . . you just missed by a little.
Crystal Ball
Come see your life in my crystal glass–
Twenty-five cents is all you pay.
Let me look into our past–
Here’s 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 I’ve told it all?
Well, I know it, I confess,
Not by looking in my ball,
But just by looking at your dress.
Wastebasket Brother
Someone put their baby brother
Under this basket--
The question is exactly why,
But I’m not going to ask it.
But someone, I ain’t sayin’ who,
Has got a guilty face,
Ashamed for lettin’ such a lovely brother
Go to waste.
Unfair
They don’t allow pets in this apartment.
That’s not decent, that’s not fair.
They don’t allow pets in this apartment.
They don’t listen, they don’t care.
I told them he;s quiet and never does bark,
I told them he’d do all his stuff in the park,
I told them he’s cuddly and friendly, and yet--
They won’t allow pets.
Snowball
I made myself a snowball
As perfect as could be.
I thought I’d 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 first—it wet the bed.
All of the poems on this page were selected from the book Falling Up.
My Sneaky Cousin
She put in her clothes,
Then thought she’d get
A free bath here
At the launderette.
So round she goes now,
Flippity-flappy,
Lookin’ clean--
But not too happy.
Safe?
I look to the left,
I look to the right,
Before I ever
Move my feet.
No cars to the left,
No cars to the right,
I guess it’s safe
To cross the street . . . .
Diving Board
You’ve been up on that diving board
Making sure that it’s nice and straight.
You’ve made sure that it’s not too slick.
You’ve made sure it can stand the weight.
You’ve made sure that the spring is tight.
You’ve made sure that the cloth won’t slip.
You’ve made sure that it bounces right,
And that your toes can get a grip--
And you’ve been up there since half past five
Doin’ everything . . . but DIVE!
Needles and Pins
Needles and pins,
Needles and pins,
Sew me a sail
To catch me the wind.
Sew me a sail
Strong as the gale,
Carpenter, bring out your
Hammers and nails.
Hammer and nails,
Hammer and nails,
Build me a boat
To go chasing the whales.
Chasing the whales,
Sailing the blue,
Find me a captain
And sign me a crew.
Captain and crew,
Captain and crew,
Take me, oh take me
To anywhere new.
Nope
I put a piece of cantaloupe
Underneath the microscope.
I saw a million strange things sleepin’,
I saw a zillion weird things creepin’,
I saw some green things twist and bend–
I won’t eat cantaloupe again.
Advice
William Tell, William Tell,
Take your arrow, grip it well,
There’s the apple–aim for the middle–
Oh well. . . you just missed by a little.
Crystal Ball
Come see your life in my crystal glass–
Twenty-five cents is all you pay.
Let me look into our past–
Here’s 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 I’ve told it all?
Well, I know it, I confess,
Not by looking in my ball,
But just by looking at your dress.
Wastebasket Brother
Someone put their baby brother
Under this basket--
The question is exactly why,
But I’m not going to ask it.
But someone, I ain’t sayin’ who,
Has got a guilty face,
Ashamed for lettin’ such a lovely brother
Go to waste.
Unfair
They don’t allow pets in this apartment.
That’s not decent, that’s not fair.
They don’t allow pets in this apartment.
They don’t listen, they don’t care.
I told them he;s quiet and never does bark,
I told them he’d do all his stuff in the park,
I told them he’s cuddly and friendly, and yet--
They won’t allow pets.
Snowball
I made myself a snowball
As perfect as could be.
I thought I’d 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 first—it wet the bed.