On killing a tree by Gieve Patel

1. ON KILLING A
TREE
Gieve patel

2. Introduction of On Killing a Tree
In this poem, the poet symbolizes a deep-
rooted evil. He says that a tree can‘t be
killed out just by hacking and chopping it.
To put it to a permanent end, it should be
uprooted entirely and left out to wither in
the sun. In the same way, the social evil
can‘t be put out just by criticising them.
The society should root them up to die
forever.

3. It takes much time to kill a tree,
Not a simple jab of the knife
Will do it. It has grown
Slowly consuming the earth,
Rising out of it, feeding
Upon its crust, absorbing
Years of sunlight, air, water,
And out of its leprous hide
Sprouting leaves.

4. Killing a tree is a tough job. It is not a simple job which can be done by
simple strike of knife. The tree has been considered ironically as enemy of
human beings. The tree slowly consumes earth. It uses earth resources. It is
feed by those resources on earth‘s crust. It rises by consuming air, sunlight,
water for years. By consuming Earth‘s resources leaves have grown from its
leprous like bark.

5. Stanza 2
So hack and chop
But this alone wont do it.
Not so much pain will do it.
The bleeding bark will heal
And from close to the ground
Will rise curled green twigs,
Miniature boughs
Which if unchecked will expand
again
To former size.

6. Thus, much effort is needed to
kill a tree. It is needed to be
hacked and chopped. It cannot
be done by so much pain that will
be caused to tree. The bleeding
bark of tree will heal one day.
From ground, the curled green
twigs, miniature boughs, that
means the twisted and small
branches, will rise again if not cut
properly. It is needed to be
uprooted properly.

7. No,
The root is to be pulled out —
Out of the anchoring earth;
It is to be roped, tied,
And pulled out — snapped out
Or pulled out entirely,
Out from the earth-cave,
And the strength of the tree
exposed
The source, white and wet,
The most sensitive, hidden
For years inside the earth.
Stanza 3

8. No, that also, means cutting of small
branches, will also not be enough.
The roots needed to be pulled off. It
is to be tied by ropes and pulled out.
It needed to be pulled out from
earth‘s cave. The strength of the tree
needed to be exposed. The strength
which is white and wet, which means,
great strength of trunk, which is
hidden beneath earth, which is most
sensitive part of tree, holding tree for
years is needed to be attacked.

9. Then the matter
Of scorching and choking
In sun and air,
Browning, hardening,
Twisting, withering,
And then it is done
Stanza 4

10. After that, when tree is
uprooted, it gets scorched in
sunlight, choked, get more
browned, get harden get
twisted, get withered, and then,
finally the tree is killed.

11. Thank you