Tonight’s bedtime story was excerpts from Where the Sidewalk Ends. My son is 4, so he is captivated by any Shel Silverstein poem. This particular one touched me tonight. I hope I breathed enough life into the words that they had a fighting chance of soaking into that buzzing 4-year-old brain of his.

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.

-Shel Silverstein