In this post Childhood Full Explanation Line by Line is given.
When did my childhood go?
Was it the day I ceased to be eleven,
Was it time I realised that Hell and Heaven,
Could not be found in Geography,
And therefore could not be,
Was that the day!
Explanation : The poet wonders when he lost his childhood. He tries to find an answer to this. He thinks if it was the time when he became twelve years old or when he realised that heaven and hell were not geographical places and hence, could not be real.
When did my childhood go?
Was it the time I realised that adults were not
all they seemed to be,
They talked of love and preached of love, But did not act so lovingly,
Was that the day!
Explanation : In the second stanza the poet again wonders about when he lost his childhood. He thinks whether it was the time when the reality struck him that adults didn't follow what they preach. The adults talked about love but didn't act lovingly. Here the poet condemns the hypocrisy of adults.
When did my childhood go?
Was it when I found my mind was really mine
To use whichever way I choose, Producing thoughts that were not those of other people
But my own, and mine alone
Was that the day!
Explanation : In the third stanza the poet is still trying to find out when he lost his childhood. The poet wonders that probably when he became rational and mature was when he lost his childhood. He realised that his thoughts were his own to command and he could take independent decisions. Perhaps, that was the time when he lost his innocence.
Where did my childhood go?
It went to some forgotten place,
That's hidden in an infant's face
That's all I know.
Explanation : The poet finally seems to have found an answer to his question. He knows that his childhood went to some forgotten place. He firmly believes that his lost childhood is hidden in an innocent infant's face. He probably believes this because an infant is away from all the hypocrisy and manipulations of the world. An infant has world of his own which is away from all the ills of society.