The Ball Poem Summary

          The Ball Poem

The poet talks about a boy who loses his ball, and immediately wonders what the he will do after losing his ball.

A short while ago, the poet saw the ball bouncing merrily down the street and then into the water while the boy was playing with it.

The poet believes that there is no use to ask the boy that there other balls because the boy is in deep sorrow. He stands there firmly, trembling and looking into the harbour where the ball fell. The boy feels that all his childhood memories are gone down into the water with the ball. The poet decides not to interfere in his matter and ask him to buy another ball as the new ball can’t bring his memories associated with his childhood.

This moment marks a turning point because the boy, for the first time, senses a feeling of responsibility that he should take care of possessions so that they do not get lost in the future.

The ball symbolises the human innocence; once lost, it cannot be regained. Of course, money has a lot of importance in life, but it cannot buy everything and it certainly cannot buy back the past.

The poet highlights that the world is full of materialistic things, which will inevitably be lost or taken away. Through this experience, the boy is learning the true nature of life by accepting the miseries of life. He is learning how to stand up against loss, accept suffering a part of life, and realize that we need to forget our pain and continue moving forward on the right path.