Tall Majesty Poem by Shirani Rajapakse

It got in the way,

that’s what they said. They
needed space for the road for
the big cars to move.
My coconut tree had to go – too soon
too young. It fell to the
ground, a majestic
tree that didn’t harm a soul.

One day it was no more.

They came to cut it down. I cried
with the tree as it groaned
softly. The leaves came
crashing to the ground to form
a wreath at the bottom. Then came
the trunk. It fell straight cutting the wall
next door in half and then
the tree was no more. Lying there flat on
the ground so helpless, sad.

The tree was planted on my fourth

birthday. A coconut tree. But that day
it was just an old coconut
with a leaf sticking out of it. A sprout;
a single leaf, folded and straining
to open out that shot
out of the coconut so old
and gnarled. I touched the little leaf
hidden inside,
shy of being seen. The leaf strained to reach
out and catch some sun.
Out, out it looked until it was

smiling with the sun.