Oh the Places You'll Go!

I would like to take a moment to do a public reading from "Oh the Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss. For parents looking for ideas for Christmas gifts for their children, this has to be high on your list if you don't already own it. This book is even better than Green Eggs and Ham! I owe my reading and writing skills to the good Doctor, though when I was a child my personal favourite was the lesser known "On Beyond Zebra."

"Oh, the places you'll go!"

There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored.
There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.

Fame!

You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV...

Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that some times you'll
play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone, whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something you'll be quite a lot.
And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.

There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go though the weather be foul.
On you will go though your enemies prowl.
On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike. And I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already know.
You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go.

So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact and remember that
Life's a Great Balancing Act.

Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you'll move mountains!

You can see where Doctor Seuss influenced my own forays into poetry about some of life's strange birds.