Poetry

Shel Silverstein

Out of the 3 poems, “The Little Boy and the Old Man”, “Messy Room” and “Cloony The Clown”, by Shel Silverstein, I have chosen “The Little Boy and the Old Man” to write on.

The little boy and the old man

Said the little boy, “Sometimes I drop my spoon.”

Said the 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 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.

Through the poem, “The Little Boy and the Old Man” by Shel Silverstein I can identify that children and the old are neglected by adults.

Shel Silverstein used the little boy and old mans’ conversation to convey the comparison between the little boy and the old man more clearly. In the poem, the author compares the little boy to the old man by stating that they are similar in that they are both neglected by adults.

I feel that it is very disheartening that adults are neglecting young children and old adults as they both need our care, love, attention and support.