Wednesday, April 18, 2007

The Missing Piece Meets the Big O...by Shel Silverstein

Sunday night, my sister IM'd me and I responded in a rude and annoyed fashion because I was busy working on a project.

"The missing piece sat alone...
waiting for someone
to come along
and take it somewhere."

Monday afternoon, I walked through Lodge One and saw people glued to the television. I stopped to see what they were looking at. Virginia Tech Massacre.

"Some fit...
but could not roll
Others could roll
but did not fit.
One didn't know a thing about fitting.
And another didn't know a thing about anything.
One was too delicate.
One put it on a pedestal...
and left it there.
Some had too many pieces missing.
Some had too many pieces, period.
It learned to hide from the hungry ones.
More came.
Some looked too closely.”

Monday afternoon, my sister did not pick up her phone the first time I tried to call. I called my mother and she assured me my sister was ok. My sister then called me and assured me she was fine and safe. I felt so guilty because I blew her off the night before. I told her I was busy. I told her I did not have time for her. I did not say, "I love you."

Others rolled right by without noticing.
It tried to make itself more attractive...
It didn't help.
It tried being flashy.
but that just frightened away the shy ones."

Tuesday afternoon, I kept begging her to come home, but she is stubborn. It runs in the family.

"At last one came along that fit just right.
But all of a sudden...
the missing piece began to grow!
And grow!
'I didn't know you were going to grow.'
'I didn't know it either,' said the missing piece.
'I'm lookin' for my missin' piece, one that won't increase....'
one came along who looked different.
'What do you want of me?' asked the missing piece.
'Nothing .'
'What do you need from me?'
'Nothing.'
Wednesday afternoon, she decided to come home. I went to the bookstore and decided to find something that would express how I feel. I came across the book "The Missing Piece Meets the Big O" by Shel Silverstein.

'Who are you?' asked the missing piece.
'I am the Big O,' said the Big O.
'I think you are the one I have been waiting for,' said the missing piece. 'Maybe I am your missing piece.'
'But I am not missing a piece,' said the Big O.
'There is no place you would fit.'
'That is too bad,' said the missing piece.
'I was hoping that perhaps I could roll with you....'
'You cannot roll with me,' said the Big O,
'but perhaps you can roll by yourself.'
'By myself? A missing piece cannot roll by itself.'
'Have you ever tried?' asked the Big O.
'But I have sharp corners,' said the missing piece.
'I am not shaped for rolling.'
'Corners wear off,' said the Big O, 'and shapes change.
Anyhow, I must say good-bye..
Perhaps we will meet again....'
And away it rolled.
The missing piece was alone again."

Wednesday evening, a 20 year old sat in the children's books' section and read this short simple story, but found a strong and courageous message.


"For a long time it just sat there.
Then... slowly... it lifted itself up on one end...and flopped over.
Then lift...pull...flop...
it began to move forward....
And soon its edges began to wear off...
liftpullflopliftpullflop...
and its shape began to change...
and then it was bumping instead of flopping...
and then it was bouncing instead of bumping...
and then it was rolling instead of bouncing....
And it didn't know where and it didn't care.
It was rolling!"

I guess my point is that the strength children have is the same strength that adults need. These simple books with a few words on each page have more meaning than a 400-page novel. Always remember to say you love someone whether you are fifty-years old or five-years old.

6 comments:

babi3kissez said...

love your entry, it's cool with the poem mixed in there. Does your sis go to tech too?

Monica said...

Yes, she is in her 2nd year in the vet program, but she is safe and at home.

Anonymous said...

Hi Monica,

This post is eloquent and moving--

How might this impact your teaching?

Always,
Lani

Monica said...

Lani,
Thank you for reading and commenting. I really appreciate it. I think this tragedy hit me so hard because my sister goes to Tech, but also because from my Education classes I am thinking lie an educator. What would I do if I was a professor there? Would I protect my students? Would I know what to do? Would I save my self? I have no idea. This tragedy made me think of all of these questions. I realize that this could happen in my classroom. Of course, I would like to be a hero, but no ones knows how they will behave until they are in the situation.

Anne Davis said...

This is an incredible post. You could turn what you did into a writing experience for your kids. Shel Silverstein's books have lots of opportunities inside to spark good writing/blogging.

Your point is well taken and has really prompted me to think. Thanks so much. Do you plan to continue blogging after your class? I hope so!

Best,
Anne Davis

Monica said...

Anne,
Thank you so much for commenting! I was very inspired by the Shel Silverstein book! I am still not used to blogging, but I am going to make a strong effort to keep up with it!