ON KILLING A TREE BY GIVE PATEL

           On killing a Tree

The poem is about the views of the poet on killing a tree. The poet says that it takes lots of time to fell a tree; that it is not possible to fell a tree from a sudden rough blow of an axe, as it has grown gradually taking nutrients from the earth; that it has fed itself upon the crust absorbing sunlight for many years; and that the leaves come out from its discoloured bark. The poet basically describes the various activities that a tree does throughout its life to sustain itself.

Here the poet says that it is not possible to destroy the tree completely by only striking heavy blows or cutting into pieces. Of course, this will give a little pain to the tree, but that will heal again just as it is done in case of a human being who gets bled after a cut and recovered very soon automatically. Similarly, the part of the tree which gets healed after some time, and if it remains unchecked the new branches will grow from there again to former size. Here the poet compares the tree with a human being to show that it also feels pain when it is cut.

The poet here suggests some ideas in order to kill a tree permanently. He says that in order to destroy a tree completely, it is to be tied with a rope and pulled out completely from the earth-cave, as strength of the tree lies in its root. The poet further says that the colour of the root is white and wet, as it remains hidden inside the earth for many years; and that it is the most sensitive part of the tree; for the life of the tree lies in its root.

In the last stanza, the poet describes the  stages by which the tree passes after being uprooted. He says that the colour of the uprooted tree gradually changes to brown lying in the sun and air. Then it gets hardened and bent, and at last, it dries out completely. This way the tree is Killed.