15. ‘Hide and Seek’ — Vernon Scannell
Summary:
A child excitedly hides during a game of hide-and-seek, confident that he is about to win. However, he slowly realizes he has been forgotten. The poem shifts from playful excitement to isolation and betrayal, reflecting a loss of innocence.
Analysis:
- Childhood games become a metaphor for deeper fears of abandonment and loneliness.
- The poem captures the thrill of hiding, the suspense of waiting, and the devastating moment of realizing no one is coming.
- There’s an underlying commentary on human vulnerability — our need for connection and the pain when it is denied.
- It reflects the bittersweet, sometimes painful transitions from innocence to experience.
Key Techniques:
- Second-person address (“Call out. Call loud”) makes the reader experience the situation directly.
- Tense shifts: excitement → confusion → realization.
- Imagery of darkness, silence, and decay (“the darkening garden,” “the bushes hold their breath”) enhances the feeling of isolation.
- Short sentences increase tension and pace.