[1615] When I Was Three

When I was three, I had a friend
Who asked me why bananas bend,
I told him why, but now I'm four
I'm not so sure...

   -- Richard Edwards

I was randomly browsing through some children's poetry when I came across
this delightful little piece. It reminds me of Silverstein, or perhaps
Milne, in its light-hearted exploration of the myriad little rites of
passage that mark childhood. I particularly love the way the poem strikes a
balance between seriousness (from the narrator's point of view) and warm
amusement (from a grown up perspective), and how, despite the humour,
there's a revelation that borders on the profound.

Incidentally, the narrator shows remarkable precocity in realising at age
four that he didn't know everything - I think the average age for that
particular rite of passage is closer twenty one these days :)

martin

[Links]

Somewhat minimal biography and a review:
  http://www.lutterworth.com/lp/titles/whispers.htm

[this poem is archived, accessible and awaiting your comments at]
http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/1615.html
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