When I was little
I turned cardboard boxes into playhouses,
stacked them one atop another
until I’d built the tallest tower in the world
or the biggest castle ever seen.
The settees in the living room
were princess beds
or safe land when the carpet turned to lava.
Stepping stone cushions were employed
to cross treacherous territory
without risking loosing toe or limb
to the fiery pits.
In the corner of the room was a cupboard
where the toys and games were kept.
We’d ransack the two shelves
leaving them bare and empty
ready for conversion
into bunk beds.
Our garden was besieged by monsters
that only my sister and I
could defeat.
Defending the keep at all costs
we fought battles across the grass
and through the orchard
onto the desert planes.
When the games reached their end
we’d hit the reset button.
Go back to the beginning before the victory
replace the villains anew
and start over in our efforts.
If I’m honest,
we never really stopped playing.
Daily Post: Imagination
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Published by Carol J Forrester
Carol J Forrester is a writer and a history geek. Her debut collection 'It's All In The Blood' came out November 2019.
She has a 2:1 BA degree in history from Bath Spa University, enjoys judo at least twice a week, and tries to attend poetry events around the Midlands when she can.
Her flash fiction story ‘Glorious Silence’ was named as River Ram Press’ short story of the month for August 2014 and her short story ‘A Visit From The Fortune Teller’ has been showcased on the literary site Ink Pantry. Her poems ‘Sunsets’ and ‘Clear Out‘ were featured on Eyes Plus Words, and two of her poems were included in the DVerse Poets Pub Publication ‘Chiaroscuro’ which is available for purchase on amazon.Her poem ‘Until The Light Gets In‘ was accepted and published at The Drabble and her poem ‘Newborn’ was published by Ink Sweat & Tears.
She has been lucky enough to write guest posts for sites such as Inky Tavern and Song of The Forlorn and has hosted a number of guest bloggers on her site Writing and Works.
View all posts by Carol J Forrester
It is a light-hearted shimmering piece of art!
Creative thoughts and relatable at the same time.
The last line is ❤ It really has a profound meaning.
Enigma 🙂
Thank you Enigma, I’m glad you enjoyed the piece.
🙂
i have to admit, i dont know when i last read a piece filled with a child’s enthusiasm this much. it feels so authentic and precious as if you wrote this inbetween your fight with the monsters all those years ago! Way to go,Amazing writing!
Thank you so much, I suppose one could argue that it proves how little I’ve grown up but it’s nice to receive such lovely praise
Haha! Please don’t take it that way!
Don’t worry I won’t. If you enjoyed this there is quite a collection of other poems on the site. If you’ve got the time I’d love to hear some more of your feedback.
I would love to and I would get back to you soon with more feedbacks!
Actually, I just wrote a piece called Legs Eleven that is a lot more personal than most of my poems. Would you mind taking a look at that.