Monday, December 10, 2012

I am the last tree



I am a lumberjack and it is just another ordinary day. I picked up my chainsaw and set for my work. Stumps were scattered all around the region, where once the mighty forest stood.
No birds soaring above me.
A hippo waiting for its fate, as it stood still in a pool of water, once a mighty pond.

The timber company had already shifted its activities to a new destination and I was given the responsibility to log this last Kapok Tree left in this graveyard of dying stumps. The tree was about 200 feet tall and had a very substantial trunk of about 2 meter diameter. The trunk and many of the larger branches were crowded with very large, robust simple thorns. Hundreds of seed pods were hanging containing thousands of seeds.

I switched on my chain-saw.
Aligned it close to the tree.
The first scratch and I heard a sudden noise, "No".
I looked in all directions, but couldn't find the source.
Maybe it was the Kapok.
I continued.
After some time I heard the voice again -
"Oh mankind when will you realise,
It is I who bring the rain,
It is I who give you food,
The shelter to our friends with wings,
Air which lets you live."

I was halfway.
I stopped.
"I am sorry, but I have to earn my bread."
I was truly sorry.
I brought that Kapok down and signaled others to load it.

Only a faint whisper remained in the air -

Only when the last tree has been cut down; 
Only when the last river has been poisoned; 
Only when the last fish has been caught; 
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.




18 comments:

  1. We, humans have a spl knack to TOUCH everything that has the sign ‘Do not touch’...We are undoubtedly the obnoxious creatures to say the least!!
    Beautiful piece. But, why did you post it late..??
    A WOW piece!

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  2. Wow! That was one powerful message captured so beautifully especially the image of the single felled tree

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  3. Hi! Thanks for dropping by! Nice take on the issue.. Powerful message "Live and Let Live".

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  4. @Panchali ji
    actually I was on a train journey .. better late than never :)

    @bellybytes and crazyambivert :) thankyou :)

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  5. Excellent poem - specially the last lines....they kind of haunt you long after you are done with the reading!

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  6. very hard hitting! especially the last line, true! how much money man needs but still our hunger is insatiable!

    beautiful narration!

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  7. This was a poem worth reading a million times. Human have an innate capability to be insane on nature beauties. Not just the trees but everything mother earth provides are, instead of feeling blessed we ruin the whole lot :) You should have posted it before, this surely was a winning piece :) Take care!

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  8. Very well written. touched.

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  9. Wow ... this is so poignant and true ... the last para sums it all ... really thought provoking !!!

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  10. Thankx Me, Meenakshi, Abhyudaya, reveringthoughts, green speck and Tanya .. :)

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  11. Great post, Ankit. I hope all these posts do some good and at least we learn and spread the lesson that these words are trying to impart.

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  12. Very good post...liked the last four lines!

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  13. Wonderful post....

    http://debnature.blogspot.in

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  14. Beautifully written, Different format! Liked it. :) Thanks for reading mine as well :)

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  15. Hey brilliant stuff! Thanks for reading my post! :) Cheers!

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  16. Nice work Ankit... Sad yet true ! Keep writing...

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  17. First of all I apologize for not replying to your comments and dropping in here so late..and thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts on my writing..
    As far as your post is concerned
    You have penned down so wonderfully...loved reading it.. :)

    Cheers

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