Plea Of A Palm Tree Poem by Sheela Toshili

I’m a humble coconut palm, the State tree of Kerala
My scientific name is cocus nucifera
I give food, clothing, shelter
Oil, food and candies from my white flesh
Vessels and jewels from my shell,
Rope, mugs, mats, bags twisted from my husk
The sheath around my flowers, a natural cloth for many

Alas! My million uses are not enough to save me
I‘m chopped and felled mercilessly at the whim and fancy of anyone
No one sheds tears when I’m gone, no writer or politician speaks for me
While caressing the less useful peepal, tamarind, banyan, and teak
Why this step motherly treatment?
What an uproar when a ficus or a tamarind is cut,
people ready to fast and protest
Am I less important than them?
Listen ye all, I’ve been around for over 4000 years
And will continue to serve till the earth lives.