I saw a tree a-falling

by T. Wignesan

I saw a tree a-falling
a-falling down on me
I had no way to turn
it was close on me

I thought it was a plot
to force me out
I knew I could not
even hold it or shout

It was a tree I sheltered
on many a longing day
And now it was so altered
coming to make me pay

I asked it why it longed
to touch its upmost brim
When all around no foe
turned the sun down dim

I touched its bark to hear
I thought I heard a cry
Two leaves it shed on me
and brushed its bark up high

I asked it why it stood
alone and left to brood
It shook its sticks in emphasis
as if to say it was good

From:

T Wignesan

T. Wignesan - Paris, 1957 (from Tracks of a Tramp. Kuala Lumpur-Singapore: Rayirath Publications, 1961.)