Forgotten Language by Shel Silverstein

Forgotten Language by Shel Silverstein
Once I spoke the language of the flowers,
Once I understood each word the caterpillar said,
Once I smiled in secret at the gossip of the starlings,
And shared a conversation with the housefly
in my bed.
Once I heard and answered all the questions
of the crickets,
And joined the crying of each falling dying
flake of snow,
Once I spoke the language of the flowers. . . .
How did it go?
How did it go?

In the poem Forgotten Language by Shel Silverstein, he uses a central metaphor to compares childhood to a forgotten language. He describes the forgotten language as something that he once had but lost. "Once I spoke the language of the flowers..../How did it go?" (10-11).Shel Silverstein writes about how he didn't want to lose this special language but somehow it got away. Childhood is something one doesn't realize is slipping away, until it is gone forever. He uses peaceful thing to compare this language to, like a "flake of snow"(9), and a "catipillar"(2). This gives the poem a feeling of softness,but at the same time a little sadness because the thought of losing these preciouse gifts is somewhat sadning. Once childhood is gone, their is always a want to go back to being a child.

I found this poem interesting because of what its trying to say to the readers. I was always told as a child, "Don't grow up too fast", but all I wanted to do was the opposite. I wanted to do what the older kids were doing. I never thought about what I would be losing. Although the diction if this poem is not negative, or sad, it gives off a vibe of sadness. It shows the realization that once your an adult, you are not a child anymore which seems obvious. But as you grow, the question, "where did my chilhood go?" comes up and one wonders how they came to be an adult so fast.