Sidney Beck Poet Narrative

Tree House

TREE      HOUSE


My
Idea
A simple
Tree house
Kids wanted it so
I  built it,  hand-made
Stone-base to avoid wet-rot
Lower level a stage for kids’ shows
Uprights were his football  goal-posts
Imagined as the gun-deck of a pirate ship 
Upper level  the  main deck for crew of pirates
Or  an  airy sleeping-house for nights camping out
Final top level for look-out  over the sea, two miles away
Always adding new features:  ladder up, rope fence, trapdoor
With  hand-saw and hammer, no power tools. Becoming complicated
Always unfinished, summerwork only,  too busy at the office  to finish it
It became too  elaborate, too  complex:  tree house to end all tree houses
In five years the tree grew  bigger: original planks and branches out of alignment
Growing kids’ interests and needs fell out of alignment, waiting too long for the house
Kids were small when I started the house. When we finished it, it was too late for them.

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NOTE

Based on an actual tree-house  I built for my   three kids in the back garden of the house.

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Written by Sydney Peck for nette onclaud's  Contest  "ANYTHING HANDMADE"

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Carol Sunshine Brown June 8, 2011 at 11:08 AM Congratulations on your win in Nette's "Anything Homemade"contest Syd. Love, Carol

Andrea Dietrich June 7, 2011 at 8:58 PM Hmmm, if you had gone from long lines down to small, it would more resemble a tree getting bigger at the top. But the effect of it "spreading out" like that treehouse that got to be too much too late is really seen by the effect of how you formatted this. This is wonderful because you based it on a personal experience. Mine was just a story I made up. Remember i told you how I make stories a lot? When I write personal ones, I like to do them like this one of yours. Congrats. I really love this! Sidney Beck June 7, 2011 at 11:33 PM Thanks for understanding the "shape"....I thought about it both ways then chose this one.....it's a pleasure when someone understands what the hell you're talking about....cos poetry is often like a foreign language to people...it's simply too complex....as you well know.....my best wishes Andrea

Sara Kendrick June 7, 2011 at 3:48 PM Great idea for the contest..Congrats..Sara

Gautami Phookan June 7, 2011 at 1:46 AM A wonderful tree house poem,love the layout too..Congrats Sydney on your fabulous win..gautami

Dr.Ram Mehta June 6, 2011 at 8:53 AM Congratulations on this win in the contest of nette, Sydney

Carrie Richards June 6, 2011 at 8:07 AM Love this poem!! We too have a tree house, fort/playhouse in our backyard that is now where our grandkids love to play. My husband built it years ago...it is probably built more sturdy than our own house!! Congrats of you for being good with a hammer and saw!!

Dr.Ram Mehta June 2, 2011 at 2:14 PM Beautifully done - both the poem and the house, Good luck, Sydney

Carol Sunshine Brown June 2, 2011 at 1:07 PM Love the new found inspiration of poets I have been reading today. Glad to see your poetry among them Sydney. May the sun always shine down upon you and continue to bring inspiration to your soul. Love, Carol

Ned Flanders June 2, 2011 at 12:28 PM Well a tell ya, this is as good as any treehouse poem as i have seen...great job indeed, how"s the thumbs? Enjoyed, great post... no pun intended!