Shel+Silverstein

__**Shel Silverstein**__ Sheldon Allan Silverstein was born on September 25, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois. As a child, Shel started tracing cartoons of many famous people and the hobby stuck with him all throughout his childhood. When Shel was 14, he started to recognize his lack of athletic ability and lack of good looks, so he started writing. At the age of 18, he attended the Art Institute of Chicago. While at college, he discovered that he had more of a gift than he knew. He could easily draw any cartoon free-handed. Once he graduated college, he started submitting cartoons to magazines and newspapers. After a few months, his cartoons started appearing is Sports Illustrated and Look magazine. Before he knew it, he was getting offers from famous publishers and poets. He turned down all their offers and wrote his own book. The book was called Take Ten: Pacific Stars and Stripes published in 1955. Shel then went on to publish many more books, songs, and poems. On May 10, 1999, his house keepers found Shel dead on the living room floor. They later discovered he had suffered from a heart attack and died shortly after. Shel will always be known as an amazing American poet, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter and author of many children's books. __What If__ Last night, while I lay thinking here, some Whatifs crawled inside my ear and pranced and partied all night long and sang their same old Whatif song: Whatif I'm dumb in school? Whatif they've closed the swimming pool? Whatif I get beat up? Whatif there's poison in my cup? Whatif I start to cry? Whatif I get sick and die? Whatif I flunk that test? Whatif green hair grows on my chest? Whatif nobody likes me? Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me? Whatif I don't grow talle? Whatif my head starts getting smaller? Whatif the fish won't bite? Whatif the wind tears up my kite? Whatif they start a war? Whatif my parents get divorced? Whatif the bus is late? Whatif my teeth don't grow in straight? Whatif I tear my pants? Whatif I never learn to dance? Everything seems well, and then the nighttime Whatifs strike again!

__Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too__ Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too  Went for a ride in a flying shoe.  "Hooray!"  "What fun!"  "It's time we flew!"  Said Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.

 Ickle was captain, and Pickle was crew  And Tickle served coffee and mulligan stew  As higher  And higher  And higher they flew,  Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.

 Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too,  Over the sun and beyond the blue.  "Hold on!"  "Stay in!" <span style="font-family: verdana,arial; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"> "I hope we do!" <span style="font-family: verdana,arial; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"> Cried Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.

<span style="font-family: verdana,arial; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"> Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle too <span style="font-family: verdana,arial; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"> Never returned to the world they knew, <span style="font-family: verdana,arial; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"> And nobody <span style="font-family: verdana,arial; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"> Knows what's <span style="font-family: verdana,arial; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"> Happened to <span style="font-family: verdana,arial; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"> Dear Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.