The Doctor Seuss In Us
His wordplay and creativity reaches into an archetypical part deep in all of us.
I love Dr. Seuss. A genius, up there (if not above) another hero of mine - Lewis Carrol). I grew up and was enriched immensely through his books and I’ve continued reading them, right up to today. I’ve written a little about his influence previously, here.
Seuss definitely isn’t just a children’s author. His words and style transcend both age and even the genre he wrote in.
I think the universal appeal of Dr. Seuss’s books is not just his sing-song rhyme, not the goofy characters, not the fun but rather that he writes things we think but never hear said out loud. It’s philosophy in action. It’s creativity unhinged and his wordplay is a way into deeper truths.
Seuss has (I won’t say had - he’s beyond death) an impeccable way of stating truth directly and also metaphorically at the same time. Take,
“Oh, the thinks you can think.”
It’s brilliant in that it twists language slightly to give us an opening into thought itself. But at the same time, he’s offering up the deep thought that the knower and the knowee are both the same. We are our own teacher.
I could offer so many other examples. He’s a gift to our world and along with my National Geographic magazines, his books kept me warm and filled with the magic of this world, as a young boy reading upstairs by flashlight, under my heavy covers.
Seuss always has a message. It isn’t just language for language’s sake. He’s fun but serious at the same time. He brings folk wisdom to the world through his own creative writing and mind. That too makes him special. He’s a kind of poetic version of the Turkish Trickster - Nasreddin Hodja
For the most part, Seuss’ high-level message is a very positive one. He wants us all (like him) to embrace the uniqueness, specialness, YOUness of our own lives, selves. It is a message that counters that of society at large and culture which asks us, works on us to be part of the crowd, blend in, not ruffle feathers, go with the flow, be with the many.
Today, I started reading Green Eggs And Ham and then made myself a coffee. Then, sat down and wrote this. I share it “uncooked” - naked and alive. My own words inspired by Seuss.
My House And Home
It's hot, hot, hot upstairs
My head's all in a not
Don't know if I should order chips or fries
Language in all countries only lies.
It’s cold, cold, cold downstairs
The basement, dark and damp
I go down there to my lonely lair
When I need a certain kind of air.
The kitchen is warm and toasty
Hunger sits there mostly
Unless father is around and then
Us kids sit quiet, uttering not a sound.
The living room is bright and noisy
The TV blares the horrors out there
While we laze and lounge inside chairs
With no worries and no cares.
The bathroom is shiny and white
It’s not a place I truly like
You got to look at yourself a lot
And notice the nose hairs you’ve got.
My favorite place of all is my room
It’s mine to fill with happiness or doom.
The bed is soft and filled with dreams
A king in my castle, all cookies and creams.
I got a home and I’m a lucky sod
My O my God! Many don’t!
Be glad you have a roof over your head
Give a whistle and hit a higher note
In your home without a won’t.