MASKS

She had blue skin,
And so did he.
He kept it hid
And so did she.
They searched for blue
Their whole life through,
Then passed right by -
And never knew.

-Shel Silverstein
MASKS appears on pages 20 and 21 of Shel Silverstein's book, Everything On It

Many of Shel Silverstein's poems are both nonsensical on the surface and also profound.

The poem MASKS by Shel Silverstein calls to mind gifted kids who are not provided with the opportunity to be grouped with academic and intellectual peers... but rather are subject to school practices of "cutting down tall poppies" used to coerce them to learn to hide their high level of native intelligence.

The ShelSilverstein website offers learning guides, activities, and resources for several of his works.