“On Turning Ten” by Billy Collins is an coming to age poem about a young boy’s mind reflecting on his childhood and his reactions on turning ten and becoming older. The poem has a tone of melancholy and thoughtfulness towards it. The speaker is reacting on his sadness about turning ten, "the first big number” and how he has to leave his “imaginary friends” and realize reality has hit him. He understands his experience in becoming older is a bittersweet moment in his life. Although, he is getting older he does not want to experience the growth because it makes him feel sick and upset like he quotes in the line“The whole idea of it makes me feel / like I'm coming down with something” and he’ll just miss all the parts of his life when he was
