Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcxWwmLMXq
The child is grown, and puts away childish things.534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsK2hVUz2cC
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.
Nobody that matters, that is. Distant relatives of course534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdHbChTr2A
Die, whom one never has seen or has seen for an hour,534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsnOz8hYGr
And they gave one candy in a pink-and-green stripéd bag, or a jack-knife,534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9IIi0wJS3
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,534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTLOUO3aQl
And their reticent fur is suddenly all in motion534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWhVY6ktyb
With fleas that one never knew were there,534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbao5c0WJV
Polished and brown, knowing all there is to know,534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpF3kXXwS6
Trekking off into the living world.534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyoPY4OZpu4
You fetch a shoe-box, but it's much too small, because she won't curl up now:534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jJsVCsxEc
So you find a bigger box, and bury her in the yard, and weep.534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKVbhYDdpd
But you do not wake up a month from then, two months534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cOjsZYWz8
A year from then, two years, in the middle of the night534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Rplzgi95O
And weep, with your knuckles in your mouth, and say Oh, God! Oh, God!534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZsU3EWx7a
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies that matters,534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOd9S5GAURq
—mothers and fathers don't die.
And if you have said, "For heaven's sake, must you always be kissing a person?"534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7uf0syXr4
Or, "I do wish to gracious you'd stop tapping on the window with your thimble!"534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTo6eKIAXV
Tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow if you're busy having fun,534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCi5t7KyAL2
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,534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZtICMviOe
who neither listen nor speak;534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3gY7CkKNm
Who do not drink their tea, though they always said534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqETWGPf1qH
Tea was such a comfort.
Run down into the cellar and bring up the last jar of raspberries;534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPale9EWjJ
they are not tempted.534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc37Eh6YnWm
Flatter them, ask them what was it they said exactly534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYTVru9UZc
That time, to the bishop, or to the overseer, or to Mrs. Mason;534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcP3QInuAsY
They are not taken in.534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5DZVeyyYWw
Shout at them, get red in the face, rise,534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlMtUva3Nd
Drag them up out of their chairs by their stiff shoulders and shake534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzz9aNoLLIK
them and yell at them;534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkT85YJxWaz
They are not startled, they are not even embarrassed; they slide534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTTU9OvMt9
back into their chairs.
Your tea is cold now.534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1yWlchoGL0
You drink it standing up,534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0aNYHtPkP
And leave the house.
