Where the Sidewalk Ends

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1974

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Themes

The Limitations of Adulthood

“Where the Sidewalk Ends” both directly and indirectly juxtaposes adulthood and childhood as two contrasting stages of life and two different ways of seeing the world. The first stanza uses innocent, childlike imagery that exists beyond the world we know, such as a “moon-bird” and a “peppermint wind” (Lines 5, 6). These lines express a land of make-believe that only children can travel to because they are still able to fully inhabit their imaginations in a way adults are not.

In the second stanza, the poem takes a darker turn as it reflects the world that adults inhabit every day: “this place where the smoke blows black / and the dark street winds and bends” (Lines 7-8). This image brings to mind smokestack-laden cities filled with industrialism, and twisting highways on commuter routes. This world appears in stark contrast with the softness, light, and color of the place where the sidewalk ends. More than its physical space, however, this world portrayed in the second stanza symbolizes the journey that grownups take; their path is one of constant forward movement, but often dark and filled with unexpected twists and turns that don’t exist within the safer space of childhood wonder.

At the end of the second stanza and flowing into the third and final stanza, the speaker of the poem addresses the idea of walking slow, and, in a sense, of slow living. Unlike the dark, winding streets portrayed earlier, this moment shows the action taking place on a sidewalk where adults and children can coexist. However, it quickly becomes clear that the speaker can only follow where the children lead. They are ironically limited by their life experience and the lack of trust they’ve developed in the potential for other layers of reality. This means that after a certain point, they are no longer able to access this place beyond the sidewalk unless they have a child to guide them back into the person they once were, filled with a sense of wonder and magic.

The Natural World

Another way to look at the juxtaposition presented in the poem is through the lens of city living versus rural living, or civilization versus the natural world. In the first stanza, the place where the sidewalk ends is portrayed as a space where people have the potential to live in harmony with the natural world. Even though its shapes and colors are different from the natural world we are familiar with, the place beyond the sidewalk reflects the state of tranquility and connection gained from immersing oneself in this type of environment, where grass, sun, bird, and wind are recognized for their beauty.

In the second stanza, the natural world becomes notably absent. In particular, the line, “Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black” (Line 7) suggests a direct inversion of the harmonious relationship with nature presented in the first stanza. Instead of embracing nature, this world is actively damaging it and pushing it away. This harsh juxtaposition makes the natural world feel even more precious in contrast. Within this city landscape, there is a reference to “pits where the asphalt flowers grow” (Line 9), which may refer to flowers growing in between the cracks of sidewalks; however, it may refer to something that isn’t flowers at all, a metaphor for something growing from the asphalt in the way that flowers grow from the earth—for instance, litter or other discarded city debris. Yet by viewing the “asphalt flowers” (Line 9) through the lens of nature, the speaker highlights the way our relationship with the natural world is present—or yearns to be present—even in the most inhospitable of environments.

As the third stanza carries the speaker toward the other world beyond the sidewalk, there is a suggestion of returning to one’s roots, or one’s instinctual awareness of this place. In this way, the poem can be read as a journey back to nature and a cultivated relationship between the natural world and the self.

Imagination and Creativity

This poem is, above all, a celebration of the power of imagination. It portrays a speaker who has left the world of childhood creativity and magic behind. While the first stanza opens into a place where this imagination and creativity is alive and flourishing, the second conveys a world in which this magical force is notably absent. Without the power to imagine things like “moon-birds” (Line 5), scarlet skies, and grass made out of snow, the world becomes dark and untenable. The speaker’s environment is filled with black smoke, asphalt pits, treacherously winding roads, and an oppressive darkness. However, the speaker recognizes this world’s oppression and the need for freedom: “Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black” (Line 7). In order to become fulfilled and fully present in the world, the speaker needs to go to a place where their imagination and creativity can flourish freely.

The images of forward movement and following chalk arrows to a place of enlightenment are echoed in the closing stanza. The repetition and rhythm of this section suggest a sense of stripping away the hardships of the world and allowing childhood potential to re-emerge. In this way, creativity is not something that is forced (in the way the industrial productivity of adulthood is) but rather something that is a constant undercurrent of being. The speaker does not attain the potential for imagination by grasping at something new, but by removing what is unnecessary and returning to the creative and limitless space of their childhood.