Gianna saw it first: the tree house on Seventh Street. Sitting on the sturdy branches of a mango tree, it hinted of blustery summers: of kites and blue skies and magical childhood days. Checking on the tree house became a routine--and Gianna and I would often dream of the time when our own mango tree is big enough to hold up our own tree house.
The other day, though, there was no more tree house to check on. It had been unused too long, said the man who built it for his two kids. The children are long gone, rebuilding their lives in faraway places. He is too old to climb, and there is little chance that the grandchildren would ever come home.
And so, he tore down the tree house. Better a cleaner skyline, he said, than a lonely structure that rings with memories of days lone gone.
Years ago, when the country was on a building frenzy, I felt a sinking sense of loss when they tore down a graceful mansion in QC to give rise to one of those impersonal developments. The house belonged to a president.
It was the same loss I felt when a they took down a quaint house along West Avenue. The same loss I feel now with the old tree house.
Alas, some of the monuments of our lives are not meant to last.
4 comments:
my dad built a tree house too when i was young. when i visited two years ago, it was gone. our new neighbor carelessly took down a lot of the trees and build a house made of cement. there goes my memories of fun.
"Alas, some of the monuments of our lives are not meant to last" - True, just look at Manila. A lot of its landmarks, those that I remember from my youth, have all been torn down thanks to former mayor Lito Atienza.
It was always been my dream to build a tree house for my 2 sons but my wife don't like the idea since our house don't have a fence and she worry if I build that tree house our neighborhood will use it and dami pa namang adik at lasenggo sa community namin.
Belated Happy Heart Day :)
Truly, there is a time to build and a time to tear down. Life you know. Change.
But blessed are the dads who build their kids a treehouse. I wish my children had one.
Giana will have one, won't she? :)
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