in honor of Shel

things are busy these days. i've set the date of my housewarming/art show for the end of September (9/25) and i'm trying to have 10 new pieces ready to display in my apartment gallery. i find myself bouncing around from project to project, sketching a little, painting a little, organizing piles, looking for frames, etc. somedays it's more bouncing than actual focus, but the deadline is forcing me to flesh some new book concepts which is really good.

in the midst of my schedule, i've been re-exploring the work of Shel Silverstein whose "Where the Sidewalk Ends" singlehandledly made a profound impression on my generation. his scratchy pen and ink drawings and imaginative poems were engrained in my child psyche early on and i only need to open his books to find familiar faces and read well trodden lines of rhyme.

i've had animals floating around my head (amongst other things) and i composed the following poem which owes it's roots to Silverstein himself:

There's a RHINO on the bus!
There's a RHINO on the bus?
I don't see all the fuss because
there's a RHINO on the bus.
Now you're trying to tell me
that he's sitting next to us?
I really think it's something that
we've all got to discuss.
I'm not the type of boy to
stamp his feet and cuss.
But don't you people realize
THERE'S A RHINO ON THE BUS!

here he is on one of the quieter commutes: