In the apartment with the orange
shag carpet, is one long table
surrounded by chairs,
only four of them matching,
and cups and pitchers and food, and large,
silver plates for sharing, a pot,
a ladle, a child's small and noisy toy,
and all of it empty of people.
Everyone has rushed out hurriedly
in the middle. Somewhere,
that room exists still, floating
toward the sun. The meat
and grapes petrified with years.
The cloth bleached by light
persisting through the windows.
Now the rattling of plates, the clattering
of forks and spoons. Louder to us it calls
the nearer it gets to the end.
It is saying one last thing.
For Aracelis Girmay, “Childhood” is a place we can visit in our memories—and perhaps a place that moves on without us.
- Look for the word “middle” in this poem. Where do you find it? What stands out to you about its placement?
- The title of this poem is “Childhood.” What do you think about when you read this word? Does Girmay’s poem match your expectations?
- “Childhood” opens with the description of an apartment. Consider the details the poet shares, like the “long table / surrounded by chairs, / only four of them matching” and the “silver plates for sharing.” What do these details tell you about the apartment and the people who inhabit this space?
- Towards the end of the poem, the poet writes that “Somewhere, / that room still exists, floating / toward the sun.” What happens to this room in the final lines of the poem? What do you think it means for something to “floa[t] toward the sun"?
- The first sentence in “Childhood” is eight lines long, and in this sentence, the conjunction “and” is repeated six times. Meanwhile, the remaining eleven lines consist of seven sentences, in which “and” only occurs twice. How do these differences in structure affect your recitation of the poem? What pacing choices might you make, for example, with this structure in mind?
Writing activity: Write your own poem titled “Childhood.” As a nod to Aracelis Girmay, start your poem in a physical setting from your own childhood, or one from your imagination, following the model of her opening lines (“In the apartment with the orange / shag carpet…”).
Useful Links
Aracelis Girmay has her own website—check it out: https://www.aracelisgirmay.net/
Listen to Aracelis Girmay in conversation with fellow poet Ian Williams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCxYQaIeFdw
Aracelis Girmay, "Childhood," from Green of All Heads. BOA Editions, Ltd., 2025. Griffin Poetry Prize 2026 Finalist. Used with permission from The Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry.