Written By Kalpitaa Rajesh (Grade 11)
In the body of a thriving town, I stand as still as a statue giving it an entity. I am hushed and towering watching the people around me change colours just like how I shed my leaves in the different phases of time. The pinnate viridescent leaves are my heart making me come alive every time. The dainty birds along with their family are my fervour. The sunlight is my sustenance and the dew drops annihilate my thirst. The journey into this daunting world as a bairn seed to embrace warmth to our motherly earth to a gigantic tree has been astonishing. I have witnessed the cycle of life unravel before me. I feel so elated about the way my fellow beings treat me. They take shelter under me and the playful squirrels run all over me. Undoubtedly the cheerful children have been my companion incessantly.
In the early days, the world was fast-moving and contingent. I immersed myself in the bright sunshine drinking the cold water that my friend Rain offered me and grew peacefully extending towards the azure sky every day. Woefully the world isn’t the same anymore, it has changed drastically. The greenwood has collapsed, the pure air now carries the rottenness of the pollution, and the melody of the birds that soothe my ears has been restored by the whizz of the engineers. The feeling of twinge lies within me all year long, still a lamentation for what’s lost.
I do face frightening situations just like you humans do and that’s when I see men with axes coming from far away approaching me to shatter my life. I was filled with constant trepidation until a student crew came to my rescue. They were sagacious enough to know my worth and warned the men not to do so again. That moment felt like the second bite of an apple for which I’ll always be thankful. In a nutshell, I have seen the world metamorphose from both angles-alluring and heart-rending.
I assure that in this world that often sprints by, I will stand still as a hieroglyph of forbearance. Besides all the provocations, I will safeguard the Earth noiselessly just invoking for a better tomorrow.
Featured Image Courtesy – EcoTree
