Polish the Star

Senses

2006-11-24T08:09:00.000-08:00

A mouth was talking to a Nose and Eye.
A passing listening Ear Said,” Pardon me,
but you spoke so loud,
I couldn’t help but overhear.”
But the Mouth just closed and the Nose turned up And the Eye just looked away,
And the Ear with nothing more to hear Went sadly on its way.
Shel Silver Stein

Batty

2006-11-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

The baby bat

Screamed out in fright,

"Turn on the dark,

I'm afraid of the light."

Shadow Race

2006-11-15T06:01:00.000-08:00

Every time I’ve raced my shadow
When the sun was at my back,
It always ran ahead of me,
Always got the best of me.
But every time I’ve raced my shadow
When my face was toward the sun,
I won.

How Many, How Much

2006-11-13T04:45:00.000-08:00

How many slams in an old screen door?
Depends how loud you shut it.
How many slices in bread?
Depends how thin you cut it.
How much good inside a day?
Depends how good you live them.
How much love inside a friend?
Depends how much you give them.

Eight Balloons

2006-11-09T02:10:00.000-08:00

Eight ballons no one was buy in All broke loose one afternoon.
Eight balloons with strings a- fly in Free to do what they wanted to.
One flew up to touch the sun – POP!
One thought highways might be fun – POP!
One took a nap in a cactus pile – POP!
One stayed to play with a careless child – POP!
One tried to taste some bacon fry in – POP!
One fell in love with a porcupine – POP!
One looked close in a crocodile’s mouth – POP!
One sat around till his air ran out – WHOOSH!
Eight balloons no one was buy in They broke loose and away they flew,
Free to float and free to flyAnd free to pop where they wanted to.

Zebra Question

2006-11-06T11:58:00.000-08:00

I asked the zebra,
Are you black with white stripes?
Or white with black stripes?
And the zebra asked me,
Are you good with bad habits?
Or are you bad with good habits?
Are you noisy with quiet times?
Or are you quiet with noisy times?
Are you happy with some sad days?
Or are you sad with some happy days?
Are you neat with some sloppy ways?
Or are sloppy sad with some neat ways?
And on and on and on and on And on and on he went.
I’ll never ask a zebra About stripes again.

Shel Silver Stein

The little boy and the old man

2006-10-30T11:39:00.000-08:00

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.

Sour Face Ann

2006-10-26T03:06:00.000-07:00

With your chin in your hand,
Haven’t you ever been pleased?
You used to complain
That you had no fur coat,
And now you complain of the fleas.

Shel Silver Stein

Peckin

2006-10-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

The saddest thing I ever did see
Was a woodpecker peck in at a plastic tree,
He looks at me, and “Friend” says he,
“Things aren’t as sweet as they used to be.”

Shel Silver Stein

Put Something In

2006-10-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

Draw a crazy picture,
Write a nutty poem,
Singe a mumble-gumble song,
Whistle through your comb.
Do a loony-goony danceCross the kitchen floor,
Put something silly in the world
That it wasn’t there before.

Shel Silver Stein

Dead or Alive

2006-10-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

Two men started a fight in a street. The big man hit the little man hard, and the little man fell down on the ground. Then the big man saw a policeman who was coming along the street, the big man hid himself in a shop.The policeman looked down at the man on the ground but the little man did not move. A taxi was coming along the street and the policeman stopped it. Then he took the man in his arms and put him into the back of the taxi. The policeman got into the taxi too."Go to a doctor's house quickly," he said.The man in the back did not move or speak. "He's dead!" the policeman thought.When the taxi stopped outside the doctor's house, the policeman carried the man inside, and the doctor looked at him."He may be dead," said the doctor as soon as he saw him. "He isn't moving."The little man heard the doctor and sat up. He was afraid. "I'm not dead," he carried. "I'm alive!"The policeman was angry. "Do you know better than the doctor?" he asked."Yes," said the man. "I wanted to get away from that big man who hit me, and I got away. Thank you very much. Good morning!"

Stupid

2006-09-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

One of Harry's feet was bigger than the other.
"I can never find boots and shoes for my feet, "
he said to his friend Dick.
"Why don't you go to a shoemaker?" Dick said.
"Aren't they very expensive?"
"No," Dick said, "some of them aren't.
There's a good one in our village, and his quite cheap. Here's his address.
" He wrote something on a piece of paper and gave it to Harry.
Harry went to the shoemaker in Dick's village a few days later, and the shoemaker made him some shoes.Harry went to the shop again a week later and looked at the shoes. Then he said to the shoemaker angrily, "You're a silly man! I said, "Make one shoe bigger than the other," but you've made one smaller than the other.

Musical Career

2006-09-09T06:37:00.000-07:00

She wanted to play the piano,
But her hands couldn’t reach the keys.
When her hands could finally reach the keys,
Her feet couldn’t reach the floor.
When her hands could finally reach the keys,
And her feet could reach the floor,
She didn’t want to play that old piano anymore.

Shel Silver Stein

Mother the only truth in this world

2006-09-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

My mother only had one eye.
I hated her … she was such an embarrassment.
She cooked for students & teachers to support the family.
There was this one day during elementary school where my mom came to say hello to me.
I was so embarrassed.
How could she do this to me?I ignored her, threw her a hateful look and run out.
The text day at school one of my classmate said,"EEEE, your mom only has one eye!"
I wanted to bury myself.I also wanted my mom to just. Disappear.
So I confronted her that day and said, "If you're only gonna make me a laughing stock,
why don't you just die?!!!"My mom did not respond …
I didn't even stop to think for a second a bout what I had said,
because I was full of anger.
I was oblivious to her feelings.
I wanted out of that house, and have nothing to do with her.
So I studied real hard, got a chance to go to Singrapore to study.
Then I got married.I bought a house of my own.
I had kids of my own.I was happy with my life, my kids and the comforts.
Then one day, my mother came to visit me.
She hadn't seen me in years and she didn't meet her grandchildren.
When she stood by the door, my children laughed at her,
and I yelled at her for coming over uninvited.
I screamed at hear, "How dare you com to my house and scare my children!
"GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!And to this, my mother quietly answered,
"Oh, I'm sorry.
I may have gotten the wrong address,
" And she disappeared out of sight.
One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house in Singrapore.
So I lied to my wife that I was going on a business trip.
After the reunion, I went to the old shak just out of curiosity.
My neighbors said that she died.
I did not shed a single tear.
They handed me a letter that she had wanted me to have.
"My dearest son, I think of you all the time.
I'm sorry that I same to Singapor and scared your children.
I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion.
But I may not be able to even get out of bed to see you.
I'm sorry that I was a constant embarrassment to you when you were growing up.
You see …….. when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye.
As a mother, I couldn't stand watching you having to grow up with one eye.
So I gave you mine.
I was so proud of my son who was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place,
with that eye with my love to you,
Your mother.

Reflection

2006-09-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

Each Time I see the Upside-Down man
Standing in the water,
I look at him and start to laugh,
Although I shouldn’t do that.
For maybe in another world
Another time
Another town,
Maybe he is right side up
And I am upside down.

Shel Silver Stein

INTERVIEW WITH GOD

2006-08-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

I DREAMED I HAD AN
INTERVIEW WITH GOD.
"SO YOU WOULD LIKE TO
INTERVIEW ME?"
GOD ASKED.
"IF YOU HAVE THE TIME,"
I SAID.
GOD SMILED,
" MY TIME IS ETERNITY."
" WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU
HAVE IN MIND FOR ME?"
" WHAT SURPRISES YOU MOST
ABOUT HUMANKIND?"
GOD ANSWERED......
" THAT THEY GET BORED
WITH CHILDHOOD.
THEY RUSH TO GROW UP AND THEN
LONG TO BE CHILDREN AGAIN."
" THAT THEY LOSE THEIR HEALTH
TO MAKE MONEY ,
AND THEN LOSE THEIR MONEY
TO RESTORE THEIR HEALTH."
"THAT BY THINKING ANXIOUSLY
ABOUT THE FUTURE,
THEY FORGET THE PRESENT,
SUCH THAT THEY LIVE IN NEITHER
THE PRESENT NOR THE FUTURE."
" THAT THEY LIVE AS IF
THEY WILL NEVER DIE,
AND DIE AS IF THEY
HAD NEVER LIVED."
GOD'S HAND TOOK MINE AND
WE WERE SILENT FOR A WHILE.
AND THEN I ASKED......
" AS THE CREATOR OF PEOPLE,
WHAT ARE SOME OF LIFE'S LESSONS
YOU WANT THEM TO LEARN?"
GOD REPLIED WITH A SMILE,
" TO LEARN THEY CANNOT MAKE
ANYONE LOVE THEM.
WHAT THEY CAN DO IS LET
THEMSELVES BE LOVED."
" TO LEARN THAT IT IS NOT GOOD
TO COMPARE THEMSELVES TO OTHERS."
" TO LEARN THAT A RICH PERSON
IS NOT ONE WHO HAS THE MOST,
BUT IS ONE WHO NEEDS THE LEAST."
" TO LEARN THAT IT TAKES ONLY A FEW
SECONDS TO OPEN PROFOUND WOUNDS
IN PERSONS WE LOVE,
AND IT TAKES MANY YEARS
TO HEAL THEM."
" TO LEARN TO FORGIVE BY
PRACTICING FORGIVENESS."
" TO LEARN THAT THERE ARE PERSONS
WHO LOVE THEM DEARLY.
BUT SIMPLY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO
EXPRESS OR SHOW THEIR FEELINGS."
" TO LEARN THAT TWO PEOPLE CAN LOOK AT
THE SAME THING AND SEE IT DIFFERENTLY."
" TO LEARN THAT IT IS NOT ALWAYS ENOUGH
THAT THEY BE FORGIVEN BY OTHERS,
THEY MUST FORGIVE THEMSELVES."
" AND TO LEARN
THAT I AM HERE
ALWAYS."

Happy Birthday

2006-08-09T23:53:00.000-07:00

Joe Richards finished school when he was 18, and then his father said to him, "You've passed your examinations now, Joe, and you got good marks in them. Now go and get some good work. They're looking for clever people at the bank in the town. The clerks there get quite a lot of money now."
A few days later, Joe went to the bank and asked for work there. A man took him into a small room and gave him some questions on a piece of paper. Joe wrote his answers on the paper, and then he gave them to the man.
The man looked at them for a few minutes, and then he took a pen and said to Joe, Your birthday was on the 12th of June, Mr Rechards?"
"Yes, sir," Joe said.
"What year?" the man asked.
"Oh, every year, sir," Joe said.

My Mother

2006-08-09T23:48:00.000-07:00

My mother, I love you and I need you, Even Though
I love you and I need you, even though!
I may at times have made you tear your hair
I set myself apart, but even so
Your presence and your love are always there.
You are my jail cell and ten-ton door.
That keeps me from just being who I am.
And so I pound the walls and go to war,
Ramming all the rules that I can ram.
Yet though I must rebel, all the while
I know your love's the ground on which I stand.
I wait upon the flash of your pround smile, my mother
And twist inside at every reprimand.
I'm sorry for the times I've caused you pain;
After these brief storms, love will remain.Barry tayler

You have two choices

2006-08-09T23:36:00.000-07:00

Jerry is the manager of a restaurant. He is always in a good mood.
When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would always reply:
“If I were any better, I would be twins!”
Many of the waiters at his restaurant quit their jobs when he changed jobs, so they could follow him around from restaurant to restaurant.
Why?
Because Jerry was a natural motivator
If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was always there, telling him how to look on the positive site of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I want up to Jerry and asked him:
“I don’t get it! No one can be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?”
Jerry replied, “Each morning wake up and say to myself, I have two choices today. I can choose to be in a good mood or I can choose to be in a bad mood.
I always choose to be in a good mood.
Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be victim or I can choose to learn from it.
Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life.”
“But it’s not always that easy,” I protested.
“Yes, it is,” Jerry said.
“Life is all a bout choices. When you cut away all the junk every situation is a choice.
You choose how you react to situation.
You choose how people will affect your mood.
You choose to be in good mood or bad mood.
It’s your choice how you live your life.”
Several years later,
I heard that Jerry accidentally did something you are never supposed to do in the restaurant business.
He left the back door of his restaurant open. And then in the morning, He was robbed by three armed men.
While Jerry trying to open the safe box, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination.
The robbers panicked and shot him.
Luckily, Jerry was found quickly and rushed to the hospital.
After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with frongments of the bullets still in his body …
I saw Jerry a bout six month after the accident.
When I asked him how he was, he replied, “If I were any better, I’d be twins. Want to see my scars?”
I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as a robbery took place.
“The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,” Jerry said.
“Then, after the shot me, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or could choose to die. I choose to live”
“Weren’t you scared?” I asked.
Jerry continued, “The paramedics were great.
They kept telling me I was going to be fine.
But when they wheeled me into the Emergency Room and I saw the expression on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared.
In their eyes, I read he’s a dead man.
I knew I needed to take action.”
“What did you do?” I asked?
“Well, there was a big nurse shouting questions at me,” said Jerry.
“She asked if I was allergic to anything.”
“Yes” to bullets, I replied.
Over their laughter, I told them:
“I am choosing to live. Please operate on me as if I am a live, not dead.”
“Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amusing attitude.
I learned from him that every day you have the choice to either enjoy your life or to hate it.
The only thing that is truly yours – that no one can control or take from you – is your attitude, so if you can take care of that, every thing else in life becomes much easier.
Now you have two choices to make:
1. You can deleted this message or
2. You can forward it to someone you care a bout.
I hope you will choose #2.
I did.