Oh boy

I discovered with horror that my favorite child poet is a MAN. I always get genders mixed up. Shel Silverstein is a MAN. I view his poems quite differently now. I wonder why gender does play a role in how I read the poems. But after finding this out, I looked up his biography and some of his song lyrics for adults and they were not at all child-friendly. Thus, my misgivings about Silverstein, despite his way cool children poems, are therefore, justified. Dr. Seuss is a ...(female I think...she/he was a man until I entered grad school)...but his/her storybooks are still the greatest, especially One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish--I never understood the storyline, i.e., could not read print yet, but the pictures and made-up story in my mind always fascinated me as a child. But all said and done, I've been reviewing many different kinds of children's books/literature to find materials for ECC use. I got sidetracked from schoolwork (and sleep) by this poem:

LISTEN TO THE MUSTN’TS
Listen to the MUSTN’TS, child,
Listen to the DON’TS
Listen to the SHOULDN’TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me—
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.

So, despite all the growing and mushrooming misgivings about tomorrow, the near future, further future and beyond, and the chaos of everyday clinic and classes (and trying fit in fun without more exhaustion) there's a quiet calm and flowing peace that it's okay...life is in the hands of the Almighty Lord, and it's gonna be okay for NOTHING is impossible with Him.

And this poem definitely brought back memories (my poor mistreated siblings):

HAT
Teddy said it was a hat,
So I put it on.
Now Dad is saying,
"Where the heck's
the toilet plunger gone?"

(from Where the Sidewalk Ends by S. Silverstein 2004)