Hide and Seek

                Hide and seek

The poem is about a child who plays the game of hide and seek with great enthusiasm and excitement.

The poet wants to say that it is not very easy to be a winner. Just as the child faces a lot of a difficulties in the game hide and seek to be a winner, in the same way human beings also face a lot of difficulties in order to overcome the problems in their life.

                Summary of Hide and Seek 

The poem starts with a child confidently challenges his friends to find him as he is sure that no one in his Hide and Seek group would be able to get him.

The poet says that the child hides himself in a toolshed that is dark and has a salty smell permeating everywhere, which reminds him of the seaside.

The boy is advised to close his eyes tightly and curl himself so that his feet aren’t visible from behind the sack where he is hiding.

The poet cautions him that if he shouts again, their friends might come closer to him. He is also suggested by the poet not to sneeze in any case as they are searching the bushes near the swing. The child is in difficulty as the floor remains cold.

Now the boy hears them and presumes that they are coming in. So the poet suggest him to be very careful and ask him to hold his breath for some time and not to make any movement. Then the child hears the sound of the knocking of a can.

The boy hears them mutter and stumble. Then the voices fade as they move away but the poet asks the child to be careful as they might come back after searching the greenhouse.

After sometime when they do not come, the boy decides to peep outside but doesn’t do as he thinks that it is the best hiding place; and when he can't hear anything he thinks that they must be miles away.

After a long time the child feels uncomfortable as the smell of sand grows thicker now. He then decides that it is time to reveal that he has won the game. They will think that he is very clever and asks where he hid.

But the child wants them to hunt a little longer. He also thinks of the anger expression of his friends at each other.

The boy comes out of his hiding place after his legs become stiff and something touches on his nose.

He then wants to declare that he is the winner. But the child finds the garden empty and all quiet. All the children had gone without him.

 The poet asks the child where his friends, who were searching for him, are.

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