The poet Gieve Patel has presented a very beautiful ironical poem On Killing a Tree. He starts the poem with an ironical statement – It takes much time and strength to kill a tree. Then he explains the process of a tree’s growth-it grows slowly and rises out of the earth by absorbing years of sunlight, air and water. So, it is not easy to kill a tree with a single stroke of a knife. The tree has deep roots which draws its sap from the earth.
It gives rise to tiny twigs and miniature boughs. We hack and chop to kill a tree. Then he very skillfully describes the process of killing a tree. ? But hacking and chopping cannot destroy it completely as green twigs are sure to emerge from the bleeding bark. The miniature boughs (branches) will grow from close to the ground? and grow back to its normal size. The source of the tree is its roots which is white and wet.
The secret of its strength is that it is hidden s inside the earth for years together. It is fixed! firmly in the earth. Thus to kill a tree it has to s be uprooted, scorched and choked in the sun. After uprooting, the roots are to be exposed to the sunlight till they dry and become brown. ? Then it stops breathing. It becomes hardened, twisted and browned.
