Poetry

Building Forts

Childhood bliss and mayhem at Fortlandia

iPhone photo by author at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center

trading posts
negotiations, bartered deals
surreptitious feats of theft
tires roll, sticks clack
small voices defend their turf
discussing ownership at
the tip of a wooden sword
dappled light from the patient oaks
shielding parents, some
more patient than others
retaliation, raiders’ repercussions
build it, tear it down
abandoned, left defenseless
all is rent asunder
pillagers infiltrate from every angle,
scavenging supplies
to build and build again
recycled nature in refracted shade

So, I love being a Mom, in part because I love children. My daughter is 14 now, so we are — sadly — past the playground days. She still enjoys grubbing around and building stuff out of sticks, however, and recently we went with a friend to the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center to check out their Fortlandia exhibit (link at the top in the subtitle). It was absolutely fantastic, we…