Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age608Please respect copyright.PENANAvC5F78VeGZ
The child is grown, and puts away childish things.608Please respect copyright.PENANAN0SaZOzOyX
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.
Nobody that matters, that is. Distant relatives of course608Please respect copyright.PENANA2xea6qGhto
Die, whom one never has seen or has seen for an hour,608Please respect copyright.PENANA4SR8dgaAWR
And they gave one candy in a pink-and-green stripéd bag, or a jack-knife,608Please respect copyright.PENANAnUp0fEA1Jd
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,608Please respect copyright.PENANAmi82UXie9X
And their reticent fur is suddenly all in motion608Please respect copyright.PENANAM2xHZNgYkq
With fleas that one never knew were there,608Please respect copyright.PENANAl4B4tOrz0L
Polished and brown, knowing all there is to know,608Please respect copyright.PENANAmByCLoTCW0
Trekking off into the living world.608Please respect copyright.PENANAinCIJ6BXHZ
You fetch a shoe-box, but it's much too small, because she won't curl up now:608Please respect copyright.PENANAK1SALImidM
So you find a bigger box, and bury her in the yard, and weep.608Please respect copyright.PENANAqKwQdiKyvs
But you do not wake up a month from then, two months608Please respect copyright.PENANASG9aiGycfs
A year from then, two years, in the middle of the night608Please respect copyright.PENANApWNIjYZhBp
And weep, with your knuckles in your mouth, and say Oh, God! Oh, God!608Please respect copyright.PENANAYliVtzk3Zz
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies that matters,608Please respect copyright.PENANAUooumUql8o
—mothers and fathers don't die.
And if you have said, "For heaven's sake, must you always be kissing a person?"608Please respect copyright.PENANAmOQtA46Ufn
Or, "I do wish to gracious you'd stop tapping on the window with your thimble!"608Please respect copyright.PENANAXXQeUbBC6W
Tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow if you're busy having fun,608Please respect copyright.PENANAStC0HN3y2X
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,608Please respect copyright.PENANAZgrUdqEcjX
who neither listen nor speak;608Please respect copyright.PENANApcAob9hcWG
Who do not drink their tea, though they always said608Please respect copyright.PENANA08FiMOZfhO
Tea was such a comfort.
Run down into the cellar and bring up the last jar of raspberries;608Please respect copyright.PENANAmF1Vqtd9tt
they are not tempted.608Please respect copyright.PENANAwc2Q0yxUPs
Flatter them, ask them what was it they said exactly608Please respect copyright.PENANA2iKMUb9F6H
That time, to the bishop, or to the overseer, or to Mrs. Mason;608Please respect copyright.PENANAa0T2moZyYB
They are not taken in.608Please respect copyright.PENANAxAOgaZdwqU
Shout at them, get red in the face, rise,608Please respect copyright.PENANAfMjtBqbhUU
Drag them up out of their chairs by their stiff shoulders and shake608Please respect copyright.PENANAvIaWPQf4jZ
them and yell at them;608Please respect copyright.PENANAN6D1eAn7X1
They are not startled, they are not even embarrassed; they slide608Please respect copyright.PENANAFwhC9NwpqD
back into their chairs.
Your tea is cold now.608Please respect copyright.PENANAtzb2W5NkMx
You drink it standing up,608Please respect copyright.PENANAFGmAolYo5b
And leave the house.