Joel and Mary were in town a couple of weeks ago and they brought with them a present for Jack: “A Light In The Attic” by Shel Silverstein. I loved these poems when I was a kid and we’re enjoying them; it’s great fun to read about flying hippos, Whattifs who enter your head at night and Clarence Lee (who ordered new parents.)

But there are a few here that have a decidedly adult point of view and tell stories much deeper than most kids will realize. For example:

The Little Boy and the Old Man

Said the little boy, “Sometimes I drop my spoon.”
Said the little old man, “I do that too.”
The little boy whispered, “I wet my pants.”
“I do that too,” laughed the little old man.
Said the little boy, “I often cry.”
The old man nodded, “So do I.”
“But worst of all,” said the little boy, “it seems
Grown-ups don’t pay attention to me.”
And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.
“I know what you mean,” said the little old man.