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.