One of the themes of  the poem 'My parents kept me from children who were rough' by Stephen Spender is isolation - another is lack of control. There is a certain lack of rhyme and rhythm in that the poem is conversational in tone and tempo, and the language is plain and vernacular. This may be because the poet is sharing his innermost feelings and memories with his readers in a private way - like telling a confidence. This style also has the benefit of delivering the poet's message in an authentic manner - perhaps more like the way that youing people would speak. The child may have been taught to feel sorry for,or even look down on, the local 'ruffian' children. Yet in some ways he does not feel superior to them . They are strong and healthy, fit and agile. They have joyous freedoms to enjoy the natural environment in a way he does not. They are not repressed or prevented by their parents as he is. We feel he is just waiting for the bariers of his isolation to come down,but as he says, they never do.