Tribute To A Dead Tree

This tree  was between Velaanaage Office Building and our Parliament House ( now only her mutilated stump remains). This could be the busiest area in Male’ with more than 60% of all civil servants of Male’ working in this vicinity. About 5000 school children and parents pass this way daily, to and from schools.

This dead tree caught my attention by complete surprise. I had rested under this beautiful tree in her Prime. I had often looked forward to the red traffic light, as an excuse to stop my motorcycle under her shade.  I also found out that just like me, other motorists had the same intention too! They signaled to the right long before they reached the bend ahead of them! This could mean one thing only; they too wanted to rest in her shade and enjoy the soft rattle  when she fragmented the wind to a million soft breezes  with her leaves. Sadly many of us forgot to turn off our growling engines and listen and feel this cool micro oasis &  get the most of her therapy offered to anyone who cared to stop by voluntarily or was forced by the commanding red light!

As I stopped often, I had wondered about the name of this rare tree, the fruit looked like irregular salami sticks and from about 40 feet below, her fruit appeared to me almost the same colour too. I had meant to ask someone the name of this huge tree or what we called her strange fruit. But before I could do what I should have, the tree just appeared to be dead, unceremoniously!

Is the worth of a tree, by her mass, or is it the girth? She was average! Is a tree's worth, the number of her fruits multiplied by the  retail price in the supermarkets or wholesale price at the market? Her fruits were not edible nor collected as ornamental novelties! Or her vibrant flowers? Did not notice any on her! Perhaps deserves more respect, if a politician declared her as The National Tree? That honour went to a colleague!

Dead trees do not make it to the 2 O’clock news or get mentioned in the obituary sections of Time magazine or Haveeru newspaper, trees do not  cry out or take one last deep breath as they die. A dead tree receives no eulogy celebrating her robust life or for pleasing us for generations! A dead tree does not even get to lie in tree-cemeteries! When trees die of natural causes, they do not crash with a thundering noise. They die silently, and are missed only by a grateful few. For trees die standing and alone with minimum fuss and often to the delight of those who need the wood! Quite contrary to  most of us,  a tree is worth more to some people; dead !

Thank You!