Gospel According to Shel

THE SEARCH

I went to find the pot of gold

That’s waiting where the rainbow ends.

I searched and searched and searched and searched

And searched and searched, and then –

There it was, deep in the grass,

Under an old and twisty bough.

Its’ mine, it’s mine, it’s mine at last…

What do I search for now?

Shel Silverstein, Where the Sidewalk Ends; New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 1974, p. 166

It’s the last poem in the collection, followed by a couple of blank pages and an index. I could just pass it off as a clever rhyme, but I’ve spent too much time reading works of wisdom and mystical theology to do that. When I reach the last couple of pages in the book that is my life, I hope that I’ve done more than search for some coins in a pot. With just a couple of blank pages to go before I reach the obituary/index, I pray that the decades of pages I was given hold words of love and beautiful illustrations – not just the tracks of someone running as fast as possible to reach the end.

2 thoughts on “Gospel According to Shel

  1. Reminds me of the dialog between Frank McCloud and Johnny Rocco in Key Largo–when asked what he wants, Johnny says “..more, that’s it ! I want more! What do you want?” Frank (Humphrey): “A world in which there is no place for Johnny Rocco”. (loosely translated).

  2. More, but no idea what. Sounds like a decent definition of sin (REALLY missing the point!). Thanks, Bill!

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