Featured Poet - Shel Silverstein

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What does the phrase everything on it mean?   To most Americans it means something to
eat with all the available toppings on top. For example, if you buy a hot dog the
seller might ask you, "Do you want everything on it?" meaning do you want a hot dog
with onions, ketchup, mustard, and pickle relish. (Toppings vary depending on what
part of the country you are in.)

But poet Shel Silverstein, an American poet known for his funny poems and drawings,
imagined a hot dog topped with Every Thing on it.  Things like a flag, a parrot, a
wristwatch and much more. He took a common phrase like "everything on it" and
played around with the words and ideas to create a funny poem.  


Every Thing On It
by Shel Silverstein

I asked for a hot dog
With everything on it,
And that was my big mistake,
'Cause it came with a parrot,
A bee in a bonnet,
A wristwatch, a wrench, and a rake.
It came with a goldfish,
A flag, and a fiddle,
A frog, and a front porch swing,
And a mouse in a mask -
That's the last time I ask
For a hot dog with everything.

Every Thing On It is also the name of Shel Silverstein's latest book of poetry.
Although Silverstein died in 1999 there are still many of his poems that have not
been published.  His family choose some of these poems for this latest collection.
You can listen to a radio program on National Public Radio about this book and how the poems were choosen at Shel Silverstein's poems live on.  Several poems from the book are read during this program including 2 read by Silverstein's sister.

You can also visit his official website at www.shelsilverstein.com to read and
listen to more of his poetry.