JEREMIAD: "CHILDHOOD WAS NOVICE" BY PROFESSOR KHALID

When we were young,

we went out for the day,

not for work,

but to play.

Branching every walls,

like thrift men,

until we had our whole squad out.

Then we planned journeys

to places we didn’t know,

to look at things we see daily.

Reaching where tires do move,

we began to count and choose

wheels we loved

and clothes we loved,

as if we knew

or even had—the cost.

Then,

to eat, to play, to laugh

was all we knew, all we did.

We never knew that one day

we would stop living that life,

we would stop being children.

Childhood was novice,

not because we knew little,

but because life is still coming

and had not yet taught us.

©️ PROFESSOR SULAIMON KHALID

-Nigeria

The poem "CHILDHOOD WAS NOVICE" is a nostalgic reflection on the simplicity and joy of childhood, contrasting it with the complexities of adulthood. Through vivid imagery, the poet recalls carefree days of play, exploration, and innocence, highlighting how children live in the moment without awareness of life's costs or complexities. The speaker notes that childhood was "novice" not because children know little, but because life's lessons and hardships hadn't yet shaped them. The poem's free-verse style and conversational tone evoke a sense of wistfulness, inviting readers to reminisce about their own lost childhood innocence.