Tree House in the Woods | Teen Ink
  1. Home
  2. Poetry
  3. Free Verse
  4. Tree House in the Woods

Tree House in the Woods

July 17, 2013
By candlelightwriter GOLD, Kirksville, Missouri
More by this author
candlelightwriter GOLD, Kirksville, Missouri
16 articles 0 photos 44 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Secretly we're all a little more absurd than we make ourselves out to be"-- J.K. Rowling.

View profile

Rotting wood
Splintering pegs
And empty bottles of rum.
Shadows of long afternoons
Full of too much time to wallow.
You were the king of this castle
Once
And all of us
Merely squires.
But my,
How the tables have turned.

And as these walls crumble
Crumble
Splinter and rot
And days begin to turn
Agonizingly slowly
Into years.
I can see you are not much
Of what you once were.

No knight in shining armor
No captain for the crew
No secret agent on the run.
Instead, the bitter wine of
Reality
Has left a sour taste in your mouth
And so you try to wash it out
With an even stronger drink.

And I wish we could go back
To a time that was much more
Simple.
When we were young
When we were free
And you were my king
My captain
My hero
And not just a little boy
Sitting alone,
Crying alone,
Scared and alone,
In his tree house in the woods.

© Nicole N., Wilton, CT

The author's comments:
I found a tree house in the woods behind a cabin I was staying at in South Carolina. It was obviously a little boy's tree house once but it had fallen to disuse and was instead full of soggy leaves and empty bottles. This poem is the result of that discovery.
Post a comment
Submit your own

Similar Articles

Previous Next
Poetry
La Push
By Renesmeem BRONZE
SeaTac, Washington
Renesmeem BRONZE, SeaTac, Washington
1 article 0 photos 0 comments
View profile
Poetry
My Sister's Keeper
By Angels1031 BRONZE
Fort Worth, Texas
Angels1031 BRONZE, Fort Worth, Texas
4 articles 0 photos 4 comments
View profile
Poetry
Motley Crue: I really hear you
By Arbys GOLD
Dobbs Ferry, New York
Arbys GOLD, Dobbs Ferry, New York
15 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.&quot;Edgar Allan Poe<br /> &quot;A dream doesn&#039;t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work. ~Colin Powell&quot; ~ Colin Powell<br /> &quot;Wisdom is not finally tested in the schools, Wisdom <br /> &quot;A poem is never finished, only abandoned.&quot;-Paul Valery

View profile
Poetry
I want a guy...
By grlgotgame BRONZE
Chillicothe, Ohio
grlgotgame BRONZE, Chillicothe, Ohio
4 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Girls with butts like mine, don&#039;t talk to boys with faces like yours.&quot;

View profile
Poetry
Cracked vase
By Dale CROUCH PLATINUM
JOPLIN, Missouri
Dale CROUCH PLATINUM, JOPLIN, Missouri
29 articles 9 photos 0 comments
View profile
Poetry
what is it?
By stardom21 BRONZE
Suisun City, California
stardom21 BRONZE, Suisun City, California
1 article 0 photos 1 comment
View profile

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 4 comments.

candlelightwriter GOLD said...
on Feb. 8 2014 at 8:35 pm
candlelightwriter GOLD, Kirksville, Missouri
16 articles 0 photos 44 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Secretly we&#039;re all a little more absurd than we make ourselves out to be&quot;-- J.K. Rowling.

View profile
Thank you everyone for the reviews and kind words, it really means a lot, I very much appreciate it :) and @Seshat, my apologies for not responding sooner, I have very little musical talent so putting it to music would be far beyond my realm of expertice but I believe it would make a lovely song :)
LoonyLoopyLupin GOLD said...
on Feb. 8 2014 at 1:14 pm
LoonyLoopyLupin GOLD, Raynham, Massachusetts
13 articles 0 photos 52 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I am proud of who I am. I believe in what I do.&quot; -Pavel Chekov (Star Trek The Original Series, episode: &quot;The Way To Eden&quot;)

View profile
This is heartbreakingly honest. Your word choice is so vivid. It's- it's like I was looking in a window at a scene, through the lens of the narrator. 5/5. Sad, real and beautiful.
Seshat said...
on Sep. 20 2013 at 10:51 am
Seshat, Mattawamkeag, Maine
0 articles 0 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I write when I&#039;m inspired, and I see to it that I&#039;m inspired at nine o&#039;clock every morning.&quot; - Peter De Vries

View profile
This is a lovely poem - the rythm is excellent and the word-choice is wonderful.  You're a great poet!  Ever consider putting it to music?
TargonTheDragon GOLD said...
on Jul. 25 2013 at 6:35 pm
TargonTheDragon GOLD, Ofallon, Missouri
15 articles 16 photos 292 comments

Favorite Quote:
First dentistry was painless.<br /> Then bicycles were chainless,<br /> Carriages were horseless,<br /> And many laws enforceless.<br /> <br /> Next cookery was fireless,<br /> Telegraphy was wireless,<br /> Cigars were nicotineless,<br /> And coffee caffeineless.<br /> <br /> Soon oranges were seedless,<br /> The putting green was weedless,<br /> The college boy was hatless,<br /> The proper diet fatless.<br /> <br /> New motor roads are dustless,<br /> The latest steel is rustless,<br /> Our tennis courts are sodless,<br /> Our new religion &mdash; godless.

View profile
as i have said before, i really like this one. the word choice and despcriptivity (i totally just made a new word) are perfect. the story told was not so obvious that it didnt require me to think, but not so vague that i had no idea what was being told. keep writing:P