Last Word To Childhood by A.S.J.Tessimond

Ice-cold fear has slowly decreased
As my bones have grown, my height increased
Though I shiver in snow of dreams, I shall never
Freeze again in a noonday terror.
I shall never break, my sinews crumble
As God-the-headmaster’s finger fumble
At the other side of unopening doors
Which I watch for a hundred thousand years.
I shall never feel my thin blood leak
While darkness stretches a paw to strike
Or nothing beats an approaching drum
Behind my back in a silent room.
I shall never, alone, meet the end of my world
At the bend of a path, the turn of a wall
Never, or once more only, and
That will be once and an end of end.




LAST WORD TO CHILDHOOD

Arthur Seymour John Tessimond was born in Birkenhead. He was an only child. He was educated at Charterhouse but ran away to London at the age of 16, only to return home two weeks later. He went to Liverpool University and then moved to London where he worked in bookshops and then as an advertising copywriter. He went into hiding during World War II, as he considered he would not be much good as a soldier. As it happened, he later discovered he was unfit to fight anyway He wrote about the ordinary and about city stereotypes. Some of his poems are conversation-poems and these often capture his tendency towards melancholy.

He has a poem with title “Last Word To Childhood”. It is a poem tells about say goodbye with childhood time. From the title, we can see the meaning. Last word means leave taking words such as goodbye, see you later, etc. And childhood means, time or era at the time we still a children. So, we can conclude by general meaning based on that analyzing that “Last Word To Childhood” means, children or little girl and little boy who grown up and become teenager or adult and try to say something for their childhood time and experience. Because they wouldn’t never come back up there anymore. Something like we usually called human circle life. Begin with when we were born as a baby, then kids, teenagers, and adult.

There are several details from children which starting to grow up. They also have physical appearance changes and mind changes or thought changes. They become more understanding and sensitive with conditions around them. And also become have more intelligent idea.

Children like we found on the poem, shows us that they have a physical appearance changes. For instance, ‘as my bones have grown, my height increased’. We can see that the children as they start to grow up, they have physical appearance change either. Children if they getting teenagers, they body going to more tall and height increased. Or maybe from sentences ‘ice-cold fear has slowly decreased’, and ‘I shall never freeze again in a noonday terror’. We can see those children going to have mind change and feeling change. It means that they worry or fear feeling about something from their childhood going to be handle. They aren’t going to feel fear of something anymore because they grow up and ready with all depends to protect their self. They become more clever and sensitive with situations around them. They also have their own protection to never let anyone hurt them and never makes them fear or worry.

And from another sentences ‘I shall never feel my thin blood leak, while darkness stretches a paw to strike’. We can analyze that children if they are grown up, they have to be strong and brave. They become sensitive with all condition. They never let any crush attack their self. And the author also explains by this sentence. ‘I shall never alone, meet the end of my world’. This sentence means that children at the time they are growing up to become teenager, they can socialize to get friends and never be alone in they life time. They can work together and help each other from every single problem they will get later.

This poem gives us so many explanations by details meaning. And on this poem, we can find a figurative language such as similes, hyperbole, metaphors, personification, etc. similes considered with using “as” word. because it can show and explain to us with assumption. We can see in sentences, ‘as my bones have grown’ or ‘as God-the-headmaster’s fingers fumble’. And hyperbole which considered to something word that exaggerate on the meaning. We can see in sentence ‘though I shiver in a snow of dreams’ or ‘I shall never feel my thin blood leak’. And personification which considered showing something inanimate objects will be alive. Like on sentence ‘while darkness stretches a paw to strike’. It is something like darkness has a hand like human to paw or strike everything.

As people know that a poem identical with using a figurative language. And from this poem, the author draw a little bit serious situation but still have witty attitude to show about change of children even they are boys or girls. Maybe the author want to tell us that say goodbye words which children make not simple as we ever imagine. Children maybe feel something freedom to grow up and not become a kid anymore. They start to explore everything which they never know and learn before.

So, based on analyze of this poem, if we will have children later, what we are going to do? Let our kid be free to express them feeling and grow up well, or give them everything as our own wishes without thinking about their own wishes? Only one that can decide their better future. And that things are start from childhood.