Max’s Musings: Shel Silverstein

Are children too young to read and understand poetry?

A Light in the Attic, written by author, poet, and cartoonist Shel Silverstein, is a collection of whimsical poems and wacky illustrations published in 1981. Silverstein is also known for his literary works Where the Sidewalk Ends, The Missing Piece, and The Giving Tree to name a few.

A Light in the Attic, like other works, was banned for Silverstein’s depiction of challenging authority, igniting disrespectful behavior, and promoting disobedience. The book’s most “problematic” poem “How Not to Have to Dry the Dishes” puts a spin on chores and suggests children to break dishes to escape washing them.

With children making up Silverstein’s target audience, the book made its way across households and schools until it was ultimately banned in both Wisconsin and Florida. Considering this, I knew it was a necessary read as I wanted to investigate it further. I chose “A Light in the Attic” for this week; it shares the same name as the collection and appears first.

A LIGHT IN THE ATTIC

There’s a light on in the attic.

Though the house is dark and shuttered,

I can see a flickerin’ flutter,

And I know what it’s about.

There’s a light on in the attic.

I can see it from the outside,

And I know you’re on the inside . . . lookin’ out.

Silverstein begins the poem by describing a house or what first appears to be a house. With the house standing “dark and shuttered”, most people would be met with fear and fright like a haunted house. The speaker reacts differently to the scene. They sense a presence here and are intrigued by what is happening in the attic of the house.

Illustration accompanying “A Light in the Attic”

Shel Silverstein

Paired with the illustration, the house stands as a symbol for a person, most likely a child. The attic represents their mind while the light represents their childhood imagination. The light flickering inside the attic can be a symbol for growing up and slowly losing your childhood imagination. Other poems like “Where the Sidewalk Ends” center around the importance and holding on to a said imagination for as long as possible. The speaker speaks from experience as they “know what it’s about”.

Although we get to hear one perspective, there is a voice on the other side that wants to communicate. After working with adults and children with special needs, I can’t help but take a moment and look at this poem through this lens. Some individuals I worked with, who were nonverbal and nonvocal, had to find other ways to communicate whether it was through sign language, gesturing to pictures, or an AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) device. The speaker sees them for who they are and not what they lack. They take the time to see their worth and their voice even if they communicate differently from the norm. The speaker looks past their disability and celebrates them.

Although I did not read “A Light in the Attic” as a child, I have read Shel Silverstein’s “Where the Sidewalk Ends” before. Reflecting on his poems, something can be said about reading children’s poetry as an adult. This simple act allows the adult to reflect just as much as a child would. There are times adults forget how to recall childhood and reflect on the youth inside of them that still hasn’t fully grown up. Reading Silverstein’s poetry is a perfect example of how to keep in touch with one’s childlike whimsy.

I have memories of reading books with my parents long before watching television or movies. From nursery rhymes, to storybooks, to chapter books, etc., children are constantly reading and building out their literary world brick by brick and story by story.

Children are often looked at as innocent, immature, and lacking experience and the attention span for reading materials of substance. With the way the real world works, they need to armor themselves with knowledge just as much as adults do. When I write, I find myself imagining how both adults and children would interpret my poems. Silverstein’s collection inspires me to take a stab at writing a poetry collection intended for young people.

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein in front of popsicle sculpture in Belltown (Seattle) / The Evergreen Echo

As someone who worked in daycare, I’ve learned a lot from kids. They often hold lessons adults have forgotten or never learned in their own youth. As resilient beings, children are more accepting of differences than some adults until the world starts to change them too.

Poetry is more than just stringing words together to sound good; it can be informative and persuasive in nature. In my opinion, no one is too young or too old for poetry regardless of the intended audience. Whether one reads for sheer enjoyment or seeks to dissect every hidden meaning, poetry holds merit and marvel for its readers.

Sometimes, it takes an important someone to see something special in you before you can see it for yourself. Whether it’s a teacher, a mentor, a family member, or a friend, when someone recognizes your talents, you know you are on the right path.

Who saw the real you? Who saw your internal light in the attic?