Venkateswaran Krishnan Sreenivasan - The fallen tree- an epitaph

Years ago in my newly built home
A curry leaf sapling, I planted in form;
I nursed it like my own child with care
And it grew into a tree with luxuriant fare

The winged visitors’ host and abode
To partake in its bountiful hoard
Of fruits and seeds in the wee hours of dawn
And make a merry chirp to wake me at morn

The curry leaves plucked fresh from the tree
Added aroma and taste to the cuisines free;
Nature’s bounties freely shared, new friends made
From lashing rains, it yielded shield and in summer shade

All living bodies must perish one day
My mossy tree too showed signs of decay
Termites at the roots boring through its core
Gave me an inkling of what is in store

With barren boughs in summer and all leaves shed
The tree looked naked and the branches wilted
When the rains brought forth new sprouts of foliage
The load brought it down without any damage

Plants and trees, our closest eco friends, living
To serve other creatures without self and dying,
Etch a golden memory in our minds, lingering
To mourn them for long, their fond eulogies singing

Venkateswaran Krishnan Sreenivasan

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