Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPBLxTTEN7
The child is grown, and puts away childish things.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0mQYAznc6
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.
Nobody that matters, that is. Distant relatives of course450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBnNLSUuyT
Die, whom one never has seen or has seen for an hour,450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeAbVgTj35B
And they gave one candy in a pink-and-green stripéd bag, or a jack-knife,450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKlZlUHcVV
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,450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeKszZPZxLJ
And their reticent fur is suddenly all in motion450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVI5g0FnRt
With fleas that one never knew were there,450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25srB4UtwV
Polished and brown, knowing all there is to know,450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1iREHxeVx
Trekking off into the living world.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRA611AU9aT
You fetch a shoe-box, but it's much too small, because she won't curl up now:450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16ajXz8NJ4
So you find a bigger box, and bury her in the yard, and weep.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiU4dyIw2JM
But you do not wake up a month from then, two months450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19gb7Jdprz
A year from then, two years, in the middle of the night450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLeyYVUHcE
And weep, with your knuckles in your mouth, and say Oh, God! Oh, God!450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRny6rRuMg
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies that matters,450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxxx4QmMYI
—mothers and fathers don't die.
And if you have said, "For heaven's sake, must you always be kissing a person?"450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImftjan6EA
Or, "I do wish to gracious you'd stop tapping on the window with your thimble!"450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlisyJ6S8Ws
Tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow if you're busy having fun,450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBKYnGhh2j
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,450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTV3aHTBOa5
who neither listen nor speak;450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnr4otDOgoJ
Who do not drink their tea, though they always said450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQaV51nUEmi
Tea was such a comfort.
Run down into the cellar and bring up the last jar of raspberries;450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84mN5bHeeD
they are not tempted.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmcJjZhz8D
Flatter them, ask them what was it they said exactly450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJV8wgnRlk6
That time, to the bishop, or to the overseer, or to Mrs. Mason;450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVhGZx8NNZ
They are not taken in.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ1uCa5Q3dj
Shout at them, get red in the face, rise,450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadqOyafyek
Drag them up out of their chairs by their stiff shoulders and shake450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuPCPuWlKWI
them and yell at them;450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBHFXRvRYt
They are not startled, they are not even embarrassed; they slide450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQX0l3YEg1
back into their chairs.
Your tea is cold now.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvcGvwwH0w
You drink it standing up,450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡct7DxeBByL
And leave the house.
