Classic Poem

When I was a child we played sometimes in the dark;
Hide and seek in the dark is a terrible game,
With the nerves pulled tight in fear of the stealthy seeker,
With the brief exultance, and the blood in the veins like flame.

Now I see that life is a game in the dark,
A groping in shadows, a brief exultance, a dread
Of what may crouch beside us or lurk behind us,
A leaving of what we want to say unsaid,
Sure of one thing only, a long sleep
When the game is over and we are put to bed.