Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGBUIfEcIT
The child is grown, and puts away childish things.485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnyO3doDnHN
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.
Nobody that matters, that is. Distant relatives of course485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAsPcmlrgqw
Die, whom one never has seen or has seen for an hour,485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpg64v8Q1jt
And they gave one candy in a pink-and-green stripéd bag, or a jack-knife,485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDV1v0FlCVa
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,485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4zGgqlno3
And their reticent fur is suddenly all in motion485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuhlO83qKA
With fleas that one never knew were there,485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cp4aVa1MB
Polished and brown, knowing all there is to know,485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Vdqqcz9XA
Trekking off into the living world.485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEPybH0MSN
You fetch a shoe-box, but it's much too small, because she won't curl up now:485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7COQZkkNrW
So you find a bigger box, and bury her in the yard, and weep.485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiFUHonvXV
But you do not wake up a month from then, two months485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGVP2lSUww
A year from then, two years, in the middle of the night485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOREkfk3xY
And weep, with your knuckles in your mouth, and say Oh, God! Oh, God!485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qs1tEqjJR
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies that matters,485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8AWcrV854
—mothers and fathers don't die.
And if you have said, "For heaven's sake, must you always be kissing a person?"485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEXgwwyTwt
Or, "I do wish to gracious you'd stop tapping on the window with your thimble!"485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Bl4Gyk9Fu
Tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow if you're busy having fun,485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7fReZ5MpQ
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,485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhLYIc3mtpN
who neither listen nor speak;485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenSMpZY1vj
Who do not drink their tea, though they always said485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNY2XlidvZT
Tea was such a comfort.
Run down into the cellar and bring up the last jar of raspberries;485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsqsbIzpSL
they are not tempted.485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeheJeJvjcc
Flatter them, ask them what was it they said exactly485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxDRHkVKiO
That time, to the bishop, or to the overseer, or to Mrs. Mason;485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc8mKJ23QIf
They are not taken in.485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPavudu8gJM
Shout at them, get red in the face, rise,485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyMt2PkdhM
Drag them up out of their chairs by their stiff shoulders and shake485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8lnTjSd9q
them and yell at them;485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrvgkRkOwz
They are not startled, they are not even embarrassed; they slide485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS16ggCxDYo
back into their chairs.
Your tea is cold now.485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkInTUQOuFR
You drink it standing up,485Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8vMVfQ1qE
And leave the house.
