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By Jack Joseph Smith

oS Such foolishness yew have in your-head Michaels Its-the Irish curse; before you even begin your lifes . What's the Irish curse? Oh, it's -like-believeing in ghests I guesss What' s-an everyday lire? Why one-Like-we're-living ef courses But we're talking about groste-and curses.and insane peephe-and everythings Isn't that strange? Michael lyoureletting your imagination run away with yous Mom, have-you ever been im Kennedy forest? No-I haven't’ Michaels’ Please let me go outsides I won't go across the street or-anythimgs I'11 just play in the back yarky’. She-tickled my insides:with her-veice; when lightly I heard; you may ge out Michael} but ceme in-when it begins toe get dark, I would be bundled carefully fer my einer Guanes with myself in the middle: of a- child's severy things To run and' run and Yyn and finally fall on your: owns Ty watch high fresty Bare pravehies ‘being searched by enow fingers, with ne one there-te see-your ~~ going from tree to trees From day te day I asked te go farther, but my words were without real feeling for ‘other worlds, My werds ef want in the softness of oyr-homes became Oftly whiness My excitement in naturesseriep ‘joey lost ite-strength in the comfort, that demanded daily return’ The- o,her worlds-were kind and understanding: by bringing what they could of them to me, Arid*I gathered in my mind thinge-ynread and unexperienced; end with nature-turned +o need as my teacher, I turned arfish: pend te am ocean and twenty trees te a forest, while-I became toofresk: to be seens. i

Original Scan

Page 24

AI Interpretation

GPT

Released into the backyard after all the ghost and curse talk, the child turns home ground into a complete world where fish pond becomes ocean, twenty trees become forest, and solitude becomes freedom.

The mother's rebuke about imagination running away is answered by a passage that openly lets imagination rule the scale of things. Outside play is not just recreation here but a way of making the safe property large enough to hold the forbidden worlds he cannot yet enter.

Claude

Mother names the condition — the Irish curse, believing in ghosts before your life even begins — and finally lets Michael outside, where words of want in household softness dissolve into whines and twenty trees become a forest.