Listen to the Mustn'ts

Listen to the Mustn'ts - fact Summary

Published in Where the Sidewalk Ends

A short free-verse poem by Shel Silverstein published in 1974 in the children's collection Where the Sidewalk Ends. It addresses a child directly, urging them to note all the forbidding voices—"mustn'ts," "don'ts," "shouldn'ts"—and then counters those warnings with a hopeful assertion: possibility is open. The poem's plain imperative tone and brief, memorable closing line promote imagination and resilience against discouragement.