Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEM1dBk6Ck
The child is grown, and puts away childish things.597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTa35zxxDn3
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.
Nobody that matters, that is. Distant relatives of course597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWYw9sOhHa
Die, whom one never has seen or has seen for an hour,597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVO6X8VIGF2
And they gave one candy in a pink-and-green stripéd bag, or a jack-knife,597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6WImfJcvB
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,597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmaEyaTBwEl
And their reticent fur is suddenly all in motion597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSgHEGGopK
With fleas that one never knew were there,597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SiXfrchPU
Polished and brown, knowing all there is to know,597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueTEUq0Cvn
Trekking off into the living world.597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV7sUj3dIKt
You fetch a shoe-box, but it's much too small, because she won't curl up now:597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHO07DmMSYE
So you find a bigger box, and bury her in the yard, and weep.597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCbWgTYHCJ
But you do not wake up a month from then, two months597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyztGHe83w
A year from then, two years, in the middle of the night597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5iAHgEbgr
And weep, with your knuckles in your mouth, and say Oh, God! Oh, God!597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuNufvLwIf
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies that matters,597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCEqxaXr6s
—mothers and fathers don't die.
And if you have said, "For heaven's sake, must you always be kissing a person?"597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBQJyUdYc5
Or, "I do wish to gracious you'd stop tapping on the window with your thimble!"597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjANb76o5Cj
Tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow if you're busy having fun,597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHeUwJvmQqz
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,597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWp8UJU4Wg
who neither listen nor speak;597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXg1wJiK2Q
Who do not drink their tea, though they always said597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDRrqKeQgm
Tea was such a comfort.
Run down into the cellar and bring up the last jar of raspberries;597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ146xaxRdV
they are not tempted.597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLf2j1avBp
Flatter them, ask them what was it they said exactly597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgNsjihDmD
That time, to the bishop, or to the overseer, or to Mrs. Mason;597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQO4blP3Mh
They are not taken in.597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD33Vu5Si4e
Shout at them, get red in the face, rise,597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIkXH2EAya
Drag them up out of their chairs by their stiff shoulders and shake597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxA49lYWDB
them and yell at them;597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0UAy4KSWU
They are not startled, they are not even embarrassed; they slide597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9m7ZAFvoto
back into their chairs.
Your tea is cold now.597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsoOS5ETn1o
You drink it standing up,597Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFGNS4bqd2
And leave the house.
