Shreyashi Rana, Former Student of Auckland House Girls School
I had a dream, a long time ago,
Saw myself talking to a deodar tree,
It was the only one that stood in the vicinity,
The tree told me how it felt, about the world,
About me and my family,
Told me there once stood a forest,
All lush and green…
Then humans came in,
They nurtured us, protected us,
But then, greed took over,
Became acquisitive and annihilator of life,
We still loved them, but they loved their pride,
The tree told me…
I was reminded of the love and peace,
That I shared with the tree in my childhood,
Being my only companion…
In the good and the bad days,
Winter or summer; autumn or spring,
She was the only deodar tree I saw in contiguity…
The tree told me that it was her time to bid farewell,
Both me and to the rest of the world,
She loved me,
And I had her blessings to keep.
I woke up in a jolt from my dream and ran,
Only to find her,
Hewed by the axe,
She laid on the ground,
I know I cried my heart out,
I still do,
Whenever I think of the tree in my reverie…
Nurturing Creativity – Keekli Charitable Trust, Shimla
