These lines are for a beloved who is no more.

I knew her since I was 9.  I don’t know her actual age.  There she stood, tall and majestic….even at that age I was in awe of her.  When my parents moved here, she was young and tall.  My parents built our dream home next to her.  As me and my siblings grew in our new surroundings, so did she.  She spread her branches wildly.  And oh…. were they beautiful.  They would make patterns that spoke to a careful observer.

We didn’t know the harsh summer heat, we didn’t know the great winds, we didn’t know the bad rains, all thanks to her.  She gave shelter to many a bird and squirrels who found her so loving and affectionate that they built their homes in her.

She has seen us grow……no, she grew with us.  She has seen me take my first bicycle ride, the falls, the success, etc.  We hid behind her during our “hide n seek” adventures.  She has seen me grow from a little girl into a woman and been witness to my bidaai....May be she shed a tear too that day....I dont know. Yes, she did see our bundle of joy!!!

She had beautiful leaves…sometimes they look like they were asleep….all falling downward.  Her spreading crown formed a green carpet against a blue sky.  And in the spring, this carpet was dotted with pink puffs of flowers that were lovely, soft (almost feather like), which as a young girl I adored, but they were short lived, as they would soon give rise to a pungent bean-like pods.  We used to make odd stuffs beating these pods with something hard and giving shape with our bare hands….one of the things we loved to make was a ball (easy to give shape to, ah!?), which my brother and the other guys in the locality used to play cricket, for they were of real good quality…they were quite hard and much better than the rubber balls…and so ideal for cricket.  Hmm…the joys of home‑made toys!!

No more such joys….not because I have outgrown that innocent age, but because she is no more….she fell prey to the evil axe today….in the name of infrastructure development.  And many more from her family are heading the same way……. soon. :(  Goodbye my dear Rain Tree.