Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age345Please respect copyright.PENANAstneeJ690a
The child is grown, and puts away childish things.345Please respect copyright.PENANAD49hqXEVHG
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.
Nobody that matters, that is. Distant relatives of course345Please respect copyright.PENANA9mhf7yhfWe
Die, whom one never has seen or has seen for an hour,345Please respect copyright.PENANARJtHejOufm
And they gave one candy in a pink-and-green stripéd bag, or a jack-knife,345Please respect copyright.PENANAac3YJVs7gy
And went away, and cannot really be said to have lived at all.
And cats die. They lie on the floor and lash their tails,345Please respect copyright.PENANAiOmidViAxj
And their reticent fur is suddenly all in motion345Please respect copyright.PENANAQV8ZyhBRyJ
With fleas that one never knew were there,345Please respect copyright.PENANAfm3FHra80v
Polished and brown, knowing all there is to know,345Please respect copyright.PENANAxmugXCPDbq
Trekking off into the living world.345Please respect copyright.PENANAloQCVmHX33
You fetch a shoe-box, but it's much too small, because she won't curl up now:345Please respect copyright.PENANAlC8ghTRReG
So you find a bigger box, and bury her in the yard, and weep.345Please respect copyright.PENANATFnDK4jquC
But you do not wake up a month from then, two months345Please respect copyright.PENANAP6I3XTan1J
A year from then, two years, in the middle of the night345Please respect copyright.PENANAL9fFeCgoB4
And weep, with your knuckles in your mouth, and say Oh, God! Oh, God!345Please respect copyright.PENANAwypUzXf7fE
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies that matters,345Please respect copyright.PENANAOqXScdSnlh
—mothers and fathers don't die.
And if you have said, "For heaven's sake, must you always be kissing a person?"345Please respect copyright.PENANAjKz31vYmCE
Or, "I do wish to gracious you'd stop tapping on the window with your thimble!"345Please respect copyright.PENANA1PGBcoQlOV
Tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow if you're busy having fun,345Please respect copyright.PENANAxDij29BPd2
Is plenty of time to say, "I'm sorry, mother."
To be grown up is to sit at the table with people who have died,345Please respect copyright.PENANAXhYfJICSbR
who neither listen nor speak;345Please respect copyright.PENANAdX6J5FSzbM
Who do not drink their tea, though they always said345Please respect copyright.PENANALQru5LRopI
Tea was such a comfort.
Run down into the cellar and bring up the last jar of raspberries;345Please respect copyright.PENANAriwnjcdH8u
they are not tempted.345Please respect copyright.PENANA3eZg4EGX3v
Flatter them, ask them what was it they said exactly345Please respect copyright.PENANAUYqZ9OMOKY
That time, to the bishop, or to the overseer, or to Mrs. Mason;345Please respect copyright.PENANAkouGJGYStF
They are not taken in.345Please respect copyright.PENANAYzk4GeNWnn
Shout at them, get red in the face, rise,345Please respect copyright.PENANAzugtscMRO4
Drag them up out of their chairs by their stiff shoulders and shake345Please respect copyright.PENANAkZrle5HtrM
them and yell at them;345Please respect copyright.PENANAejNRLUyGoP
They are not startled, they are not even embarrassed; they slide345Please respect copyright.PENANAyA3Ypq8AHu
back into their chairs.
Your tea is cold now.345Please respect copyright.PENANAQ3TxOgrrxA
You drink it standing up,345Please respect copyright.PENANAN3EzzlSTdC
And leave the house.