Childhood Poem by David Bates

Childhood

Rating: 3.7


Childhood, sweet and sunny childhood,
With its careless, thoughtless air,
Like the verdant, tangled wildwood,
Wants the training hand of care.

See it springing all around us --
Glad to know, and quick to learn;
Asking questions that confound us;
Teaching lessons in its turn.

Who loves not its joyous revel,
Leaping lightly on the lawn,
Up the knoll, along the level,
Free and graceful as a fawn?

Let it revel; it is nature
Giving to the little dears
Strength of limb, and healthful features,
For the toil of coming years.

He who checks a child with terror,
Stops its play, and stills its song,
Not alone commits an error,
But a great and moral wrong.

Give it play, and never fear it --
Active life is no defect;
Never, never break its spirit --
Curb it only to direct.

Would you dam the flowing river,
Thinking it would cease to flow?
Onward it must go forever --
Better teach it where to go.

Childhood is a fountain welling,
Trace its channel in the sand,
And its currents, spreading, swelling,
Will revive the withered land.

Childhood is the vernal season;
Trim and train the tender shoot;
Love is to the coming reason,
As the blossom to the fruit.

Tender twigs are bent and folded --
Art to nature beauty lends;
Childhood easily is moulded;
Manhood breaks, but seldom bends.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Chinedu Dike 19 April 2015

Beautiful piece of poetry, well articulated and nicely penned in poetic diction. Thanks for sharing.

21 6 Reply
M Asim Nehal 10 December 2016

Indeed, the days of childhood can never be compared with those of adolescence or young and old aged......Life is playful in the hands of kids....

18 8 Reply
David Pass 29 November 2016

Beautifully captures the spirit of childhood - learning and adapting. Need to encourage children and be gentle with teaching them. Thank you

13 11 Reply
Michelle Claus 24 March 2014

Witnessing a scene in which a child's benign free spirit is clipped, it breaks my heart. I agree with the sentiment of this poem, give a child safe parameters within which to be free and creative. The form of the poem is okay.... Thank you.

11 6 Reply
Biplab Chowdhury 24 March 2012

Simple poem, vivid and full of the joy of innocence.

11 5 Reply
Teena Adrian 16 February 2020

Lovely poems. Lovely thoughts. Thank you.

0 0 Reply
Afeef shanooj 11 November 2019

CHERUVAYIL 🏠 enkakad post.vadakkancheri via. Thrissur district.680589

0 0 Reply
Chinedu Dike 11 October 2019

Well expressed thoughts and feelings. An insightful piece of poetry written with conviction.......................

0 0 Reply
Anishrubhan 10 July 2018

Super Poem

2 1 Reply
Leela chatterjee 07 June 2018

The poem is not worth reading. A poet is born.He can not be made a poet.

6 1 Reply
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David Bates

David Bates

Indian Hill / Ohio
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