The Tree Fort

I was the oldest of four
And I didn’t get along
With my siblings,
Strange as that might seem!

About the only way
That I could get away from them
Was up in a tree fort
That I personally built for that purpose.

We had a giant Eucalyptus tree
In back of our yard in San Diego
Wedged in a corner of our fence
With an eight foot diameter trunk.

I remember a number of times
When a branch the size of a normal tree
Would come tumbling down
Crashing into our yard.

The mighty Eucalyptus is a brittle tree
And ours was topped off
Several times over the years
Only to grow back.

I started out my fort
At fence top level
Leaving the ground level
For my pesky siblings.

I built the fort out of
Lumber scavenged from the neighborhood,
A hodgepodge of two-by-fours
And plywood that I nailed together.





Whenever my younger brother
Learned how to climb up,
I would build another floor
More difficult to get to than the last.

There was a neighbor carpenter
Who wanted to lend a hand
But my father said no
Out of concern for cost.

The guy was probably worried
About my safety up there,
And I am sure that he didn’t understand
The intention of my design.

The construction went on for years
And when we finally moved,
My fort was eight stories high,
A monument to sibling rivalry!

Many years later
I went back with my kids
To show them where I grew up
But the tree and fort were gone!

Though it is no longer physically there,
The old fort remains inside my head,
Part of the richness of my life
And the flavor of my youth!