“Dream
Children” by Charles Lamb is one of my all-time favorite essays. I’ve written
before about the children left on the shores of the Lethe, and how I would do
my best to make sure that they are rescued from there.
Not today.
At least
not all the children. My characters and story ideas will absolutely be rescued.
I’m not going to stop trying to breathe life into them.
No, I’m
talking about the other children. Other ideas. I have had a host of ideas for
teaching, but over recent months I abandon them almost as soon as I have them.
They’re going to stay on the Lethe. Particularly good ones I might pass on to
teacher friends, but then many of them have the same idea.
So, to
those ideas, left on the shores of the Lethe, I offer a small apology. You will
not come to be. At least not for me. I will do my best not to forget you
completely, and I have the chance to pass you on to someone else, I shall, but
I must tend to my other children.
You have already robbed life from
them for too long.