What an interesting and accomplished man…
Shel Silverstein is, without question, one of my greatest influences – while he may not always be tha first to come to mind. Mr. Silverstein’s words and rhymes are certainly buried deep within me, held hostage by a childhood that is now locked away for its loss of innocence…
Known mostly for his children’s books, “Where The Sidewalk Ends” and tha immensely popular 1981 bestseller “A Light in The Attic,” Silverstein had defined tha border existing between childhood innocence and adult understanding since “Lafcadio,” in 1963.
Besides his accomplishments as a children’s author, Silverstein wrote song lyrics made popular by Johnny Cash, as well as Dr. Hook and The Medicine Show. I grew up having my father immitate Cash’s rendition of “A Boy Named Sue.” I knew every word by heart by tha time i was seven or eight years old. I never knew my grandfather, so i kinda thought it was true. My father would look at my big brother and I, and say…
“Well, my daddy left home when I was three
and he didn’t leave much for my Ma’ and me…”
He reeled us in every time. Hook, line, and sinker…
mtp
Mega ditto’s, I definitely grew up loving Shel and Dr. Seuss!