“To have a childhood is to live a thousand lives before the one.” Rainer Maria Rilke –
I suppose I lived a sheltered life in literary terms; I thought I had been exposed to
the world’s great writers and poets, not just the proverbial dead white men either, throughout my studies. I was well into my forties before I became acquainted with the works of Rainer Maria Rilke.
My first encounter with Rilke was Letters to a Young Poet. I had been asked to teach an introductory course for creative writing at the college where I was employed, and Rilke’s work was the text selected by the faculty designer. There is a great deal of truth to the old adage “the best way to learn about a subject is to teach it,” for I learned quickly about not only the works of Rilke but his life as well.
When I decided to begin writing for children, I had not given a great deal of thought to Rilke’s works in terms of material about which to write or reasons for doing so. I took a journey through my childhood and continued through the journeys of my three children. Of course, the many games of make believe and hours of shared experiences bubbled to the surface of those memories—some very pleasant, others not so.
Children at play live their lives in the present, that is they take on the persona of the make-believe characters being portrayed. Today they may be soldiers, tomorrow medical professionals. The action can take place in the past, present, or future; the location can be some foreign land, outer space, or their hometown. Through the course of one’s childhood, the individual explores multiple opportunities, vocations, and/or occupations, which may or may not influence life choices as an adult.
Rilke’s point is spot on.
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