Where the Sidewalk Ends

“Where the Sidewalk Ends” is divided into three stanzas with a total of 16 lines; the first two stanzas are fairly consistent and each have six lines, while the third stanza is a quatrain of four lines that deviates slightly from the set pattern. The poem uses extensive rhyme and rhythmic language designed to be read out loud; however, the rhyme scheme and meter are not consistent from beginning to end. The rhythmic structure of the poem is as loose and erratic as a child’s imagination, even as it adheres to traditional principles like true rhymes (in which the stressed vowel and any subsequent sounds are the same) rather than favoring slant rhymes or near rhymes (in which the sounds are similar but not identical), as is more popular in contemporary poetry. Moreover, the rhythm of the poem can vary depending on how it is read out loud; this creates a truly personal and fluid experience for the reader.

The first stanza features a standalone line: “There is a place where the sidewalk ends” (Line 1), which has no direct rhyme within the same stanza.