Poem: The Way Things Are, No, the candle is not crying, it can not feel pain...

[Tanthai]

I've read a poem by ROGER McGOUGH but I understand a little. Please explain the meaning in a simple word for me, thanks a lot.

The Way Things Are
No, the candle is not crying, it can not feel pain.
Even telescopes, like the rest of us, grow bored.
Bubble gum will not make the hair soft and shiny.
The duller the imagination, the faster the car.
I am your father and that is the way things are.

When the sky is looking the other way,
do not enter the forest. No, the wind
is not caused by the rushing of clouds.
An excuse is as good a reason as any.
A lighthouse, launched, will not go far,
I am your father and that is the way things are.

What's the tone of this poem ?
What's the poet's attitude ?

[Gray]

I am, too, curious to know the meaning of this poem. May be the poet, a father, is explaining himself or asking for an excuse.
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First lesson - English, not english. I, not i. ~A student of English

[Mapet]

I think this poem is all about preparing a child for life's reality without actually taking away and ruining his imagination and curiousity, at the same time warning him that some things are not what they seem. Bubble gums, however sweet and nice, don't make hair soft and shiny; instead, they make hair stiff and greasy. When the sky turns dark, it's not safe to go wandering around. The poem sounded exasperated to me at first, but ultimately, it's all about what real parents sound like -- caring and full of wisdom.

[Gray]

[Mapet]

Thanks, Gray. Yeah, it is. But poems are subjective, so there's really no wrong or right way of interpreting them, I think. As long as you connect with a certain poem, that's all that matters.