Circle around the banyan
Our hundred year companion
She cannot hide, she cannot run
She keeps you cool, she helps you breathe
Circle around the banyan
Our hundred year companion
She’s a pillar built by rain
while yours need earth to die in vain
Circle around the banyan
Our hundred year companion
The road can find another way
She has a hundred more years to stay
Circle around the banyan
Our hundred year companion
You hold death in an axe
Come hold life and hold our hands
NaPoWriMo Day 7 prompt – Finally, here’s today’s prompt — optional, as always. In her poem, “Front Yard Rhyme,” Cecily Parks evokes the sing-songy beats that accompany girls’ clapping games, and jump-rope and skipping rhymes. Today, we challenge you to write your own poem that emulates these songs – something to snap, clap, and jump around to.
More than 150 trees are to be cut in a nearby park, which is the only park with green shade around the area. This is a clapping game written in protest against the feeling of trees.
12 responses to “[572] God’s Property”
What’s the reason for cutting the trees?
they want to a build a road above it with pillars so it connects to a bridge that will cut down transport time for travellers.
I guess that will get the shade back again but it’s not quite the same!
yes, exactly. development vs conservation.
If trees were wifi towers, they’d probably reconsider. But no, trees are only air purification portals… Humans are so missing the whole reason for existing. I love the photo and the notice on it. Lovely how you took this prompt to bring awareness to something you believe in. Thanks Rahul. Happy writing.
this is the best explanation you could give
Powerful, immediate, and beautifully direct. It genuinely feels like something meant to be spoken together, which makes the protest feel collective and full of life.
Thank you so much, i’m glad it made you feel something
This is a beautiful, haunting poem, Tahul. I love how you’ve made the banyan feel like a living ancestor—gentle, steadfast, and wise. The contrast between her quiet strength (“a pillar built by rain”) and the fragility of human destruction (“you hold death in an axe”) is incredibly powerful. The refrain of “circle around the banyan” feels like a ritual of remembrance and resistance. And that final turn—“Come hold life and hold our hands”—is both a plea and an invitation, full of grace. Thank you for this.🤝
Thank you for responding, love the analysis
Beautifully written and quite a poignant message!
Thank you so much!