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…