Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02jdtexEXc
The child is grown, and puts away childish things.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXPPn9h2sg
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.
Nobody that matters, that is. Distant relatives of course564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpcVZbV5yA
Die, whom one never has seen or has seen for an hour,564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4htU1ltiIh
And they gave one candy in a pink-and-green stripéd bag, or a jack-knife,564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZ3ufzd2tR
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,564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBW6fFvY1Om
And their reticent fur is suddenly all in motion564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOTmyGLPNk
With fleas that one never knew were there,564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDDrVezCX8
Polished and brown, knowing all there is to know,564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjP6WTyjbE
Trekking off into the living world.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGoTOtQOUIT
You fetch a shoe-box, but it's much too small, because she won't curl up now:564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUNUZdq8x8
So you find a bigger box, and bury her in the yard, and weep.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5aoxAgo8n
But you do not wake up a month from then, two months564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFxoCjefJ5p
A year from then, two years, in the middle of the night564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjp8su1IEN
And weep, with your knuckles in your mouth, and say Oh, God! Oh, God!564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96uVMoMys4
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies that matters,564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMZQmAuYGl
—mothers and fathers don't die.
And if you have said, "For heaven's sake, must you always be kissing a person?"564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6b2t3qGFZ
Or, "I do wish to gracious you'd stop tapping on the window with your thimble!"564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFdeZbbn47
Tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow if you're busy having fun,564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0ZSUmCyeO
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,564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPooCvWDeg
who neither listen nor speak;564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1MJP15L8v
Who do not drink their tea, though they always said564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXZHakVVVH
Tea was such a comfort.
Run down into the cellar and bring up the last jar of raspberries;564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1yQB15zhO
they are not tempted.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFElhOIc03
Flatter them, ask them what was it they said exactly564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhq5vCJntv
That time, to the bishop, or to the overseer, or to Mrs. Mason;564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUvoD6wOfxY
They are not taken in.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiiBXGhsPpW
Shout at them, get red in the face, rise,564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkyzHuyrSq
Drag them up out of their chairs by their stiff shoulders and shake564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRSLJqFsYYB
them and yell at them;564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsi6Tya7lQj
They are not startled, they are not even embarrassed; they slide564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAjkIpmroy
back into their chairs.
Your tea is cold now.564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZmsUrxU2W
You drink it standing up,564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPgR5oKcfG
And leave the house.
