Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaW8NHA8O53
The child is grown, and puts away childish things.502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHoN58LVX5V
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.
Nobody that matters, that is. Distant relatives of course502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9PIvM5Yapz
Die, whom one never has seen or has seen for an hour,502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4WezsiSk02
And they gave one candy in a pink-and-green stripéd bag, or a jack-knife,502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrrB80T4mp
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,502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyprPYRXAn
And their reticent fur is suddenly all in motion502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmITEIMZkqz
With fleas that one never knew were there,502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoMOIidX8T
Polished and brown, knowing all there is to know,502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVX7vh6kMv8
Trekking off into the living world.502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8SzIDqPEp
You fetch a shoe-box, but it's much too small, because she won't curl up now:502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTYmNW34Y4
So you find a bigger box, and bury her in the yard, and weep.502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7YFUO7iBr
But you do not wake up a month from then, two months502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXyunZWDP61
A year from then, two years, in the middle of the night502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXvoWqo9Ia
And weep, with your knuckles in your mouth, and say Oh, God! Oh, God!502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWxKPG5qkm
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies that matters,502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWruWg4JmHj
—mothers and fathers don't die.
And if you have said, "For heaven's sake, must you always be kissing a person?"502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HjxMOLhfk
Or, "I do wish to gracious you'd stop tapping on the window with your thimble!"502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKDz5AoTQC
Tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow if you're busy having fun,502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zkeiJC6V9
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,502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYb0W9LTZN6
who neither listen nor speak;502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFUR5qpK8a
Who do not drink their tea, though they always said502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7beOl0Npc
Tea was such a comfort.
Run down into the cellar and bring up the last jar of raspberries;502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVsOWB1ZVv
they are not tempted.502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYX7o5Nadr
Flatter them, ask them what was it they said exactly502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0oVQVGGC5
That time, to the bishop, or to the overseer, or to Mrs. Mason;502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmoavwVWCV
They are not taken in.502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXaZf4p19M
Shout at them, get red in the face, rise,502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEhnoTHyZ2
Drag them up out of their chairs by their stiff shoulders and shake502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZmoIpd4kK
them and yell at them;502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMapnbDke1r
They are not startled, they are not even embarrassed; they slide502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsAoxcdtBn
back into their chairs.
Your tea is cold now.502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDyfVa1fVe
You drink it standing up,502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvsqA4eniQ
And leave the house.
