Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CoEqDGjLt
The child is grown, and puts away childish things.517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5L2N183JW
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.
Nobody that matters, that is. Distant relatives of course517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvfCRcyYac
Die, whom one never has seen or has seen for an hour,517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCibpfRQ5c
And they gave one candy in a pink-and-green stripéd bag, or a jack-knife,517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPjaJFnOcg
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,517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMnTwD88YM
And their reticent fur is suddenly all in motion517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuC9eDWcM8
With fleas that one never knew were there,517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmgwl2ftL4
Polished and brown, knowing all there is to know,517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmvyGaGvEVG
Trekking off into the living world.517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8m3TX4iMJ
You fetch a shoe-box, but it's much too small, because she won't curl up now:517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKSGpj58TI
So you find a bigger box, and bury her in the yard, and weep.517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqt0WBDC0pP
But you do not wake up a month from then, two months517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEF31N5SQVt
A year from then, two years, in the middle of the night517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRhY2KnEqq
And weep, with your knuckles in your mouth, and say Oh, God! Oh, God!517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjq2mv0qdyL
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies that matters,517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhjprq52iRY
—mothers and fathers don't die.
And if you have said, "For heaven's sake, must you always be kissing a person?"517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRl223IOq0
Or, "I do wish to gracious you'd stop tapping on the window with your thimble!"517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSlIHdnlFc
Tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow if you're busy having fun,517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYmuIrpGQt
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,517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqSCznzTjR
who neither listen nor speak;517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7adX2BrUtn
Who do not drink their tea, though they always said517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcvTKEbbFk
Tea was such a comfort.
Run down into the cellar and bring up the last jar of raspberries;517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYEna5wdH9
they are not tempted.517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKK1mod5L6l
Flatter them, ask them what was it they said exactly517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfVs7GAE54
That time, to the bishop, or to the overseer, or to Mrs. Mason;517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdscCNOGRk
They are not taken in.517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzbjlufKqd
Shout at them, get red in the face, rise,517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfryzsBdHm
Drag them up out of their chairs by their stiff shoulders and shake517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1muQ30631
them and yell at them;517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJTTwRfoXM
They are not startled, they are not even embarrassed; they slide517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvC1pAHvgD
back into their chairs.
Your tea is cold now.517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqZVjNinPs
You drink it standing up,517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQbwF4czad
And leave the house.
