Monday, April 15, 2013

Butterscotch and Magic Beans

Michelle from Buttered Toast Rocks is one of my oldest and most loyal readers. She writes poetry and sneak peeks at her daily life that usually make me laugh and almost always, on some level, make me cry. Her love story with her husband is one of my favorites and her kids seem like the kind of teenagers I hope mine grow up to be. Her blog is like having a cup of coffee with a very comfortable and entertaining friend. She contributed her favorite poem for today. Thank you, Michelle!

She wrote me this the other day:

"After thinking of this most of last night and waking up thinking of it, and all day thoughts on it, I know what my favorite poem is: Shel Silverstein's "Invitation". There is something about the call to all dreamers and wishers and liars and hope-ers and pray-er's and magic bean buyers that calls to me and has since the first moment my 4th grade teacher read it to the class. I love spinning my own flax-golden tales and if it has a rhyming rhythm, even better!"

I could not agree more, Michelle. It seems that really speak to us when we are young and open tend to be the things that we keep around. Shel Silverstein is one of those poets who write deceptively simple verse, a lot of it silly on the surface, but continues to delight children, generation after generation, with the richness of his poetry. In a world that offers so much that is too much, too inappropriate, too insipid, too, too, too to our children, it is a refreshing comfort to know that people like Shel Silverstein took the time to paint the important things in life into silly rhymes and simple black and white line drawings. I hope these gems never lose their appeal to generations of children and the adults they become.

Michelle sent me this recipe for No-Bake Butterscotch Pretzel Bars which sum up these ideas of richness and simplicity and childhood in one tasty package. They are not elegant or trendy dining, they are not haute cuisine. They are sweet, yummy, easy, comforting goodness that children will love and adults will sneak bits of all day long to remember the sweetness of childhood.

AN INVITATION

If you are a dreamer, come in.
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
a hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer...
If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire,
For we have some flax golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!

-Shel Silverstein, 1974

12 comments:

  1. I've never heard that poem, but love it! I will happily sit by that fire!

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    1. So glad you love it and that now you have heard it. It must be heard.

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  2. I remember that poem! Love it too! Shel had some cool poetry inside of him. I'll pass on the butterscotch anything - not my favorite - but make it in chocolate and yo might have me there!

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    1. I'm sure you could substitute chocolate for the butterscotch for equally pleasant results.

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  3. Hmm, I'd like some magic beans myself.

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    1. If you find some, be sure to use them wisely.

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  4. I love all things Shel Silverstein. And really, all things butterscotch, too, so this is an all sorts of good kind of post.

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    1. It's just like a sticky, sweet treat all around, isn't it?

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  5. Thank you! Shel Silverstein really knows how to write and he's been a staple in my personal reading life since I was young. Even today, "Where the Sidewalk Ends" is sitting on my coffee table, ever in reach for a read or two.

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    1. My heart melted a little bit the day that my jBird came home from school and said "Mama! I checked out a book of the best poetry from the library!" It was "Where the Sidewalk Ends". Timeless.

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  6. I worked at a bookstore in the '90s and one of my favorite things about working there (other than, you know, working at a bookstore) was the joy of watching kids discover Silverstein. Thanks to you & Michelle for the reminder & the recipe. :)

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    1. That is one of the best things about working in a bookstore. Well, that and the books everywhere.

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Thanks for reading and taking the time to say hello!