The Gated Community Poem by Padmanabhan Ananth

I'm proud to write of this ariel world
A vast place many it does lovingly hold
Many coloured flowers, birds chirping lively
A treat to us: our sonnet luminaire daily

In our gated community lives one more
A world that has no gate, bound or border
In the thousands of majestic topiary
Is this world of which I'm penning poetry

The trees, just a decade or more young
Some bear fruits: chikoo, guava, mango
Some visual treats: jacaranda, gulmohur, kadamba
Many scent works: night queen, coral jasmine, champaka

Green shelters for many a parked car
Cool siesta-place for resting tired labour
They have to be often, for beauty, trimmed
Some even have to, sadly, be felled

Live in them, many a winged twitter starlet
Pairs of parakeet, hoopoe, parrot, barbet
Families of bulbul, oriole, owlet, robin, drongo
Neighbour Chandra Badami captured many - in photo

The trees, they house common squirrels
Garden lizards: chasing them the cats
Wow, even a rare red-tailed squirrel!
Sharing the green-space with many koel

Neighbours, spare each day a glance and ear
To relish to your fill this beauty of nature
This world we have to share with them
For now, many more to come, time.