The Citizen Tree ....

I grew up in a house where the garden was not very big, but whatever small space it occupied, it boasted of mango trees, a guava tree, a prajakt(parijaat) tree, jasmine bowers, mogras , a palm, and a jamun tree . Besides assorted flowers like aboli, hibiscus and so on.

 One of my childhood memories has to do with shaking the prajakta tree, and collecting the torrentially falling flowers that descended on the earth. 

My friend Arvind Khanna clicked and posted this superb photograph of a descending prajakta flower, confidently caught by the leaves and branches  of, what is possibly a lemon tree.

Some flowers are plucked from trees, but this one is different.   It is thought to be of divine origin and yet with the first ray of the sun it drops from the branches. Even then it holds the distinction of being the only one that can be picked from the earth and offered to Gods. 

There is a message in it all, for us, who have unfortunately, learned , to now emphasize differences.

Some have grown
comfortable ,
fragrant,
sometimes sour in fruit
and comfortable in
their own leaves, thorns
and branches
over the bygone years.

The real citizen tree
in a country's garden,
is one that nurtures
a sudden visitor,
offering tree-tarian support,
despite the
visible shades of saffron,
and doesn't feel
threatened
by the sudden color
in a hitherto
fuzzy
but deemed homogeneous
Garden of Life.

P. S.
Together,
these are the
Colors  of  India;
all it needs is
a visit by a blue bird.