‘The tree outside my window’: Poem by Mekhla Dhar, Apeejay School, Noida

Just outside my window lies my best friend
In the midst of a hundred beating hearts and their concrete abodes
Standing alone, watching over me
The day this three-year old saw it for the first time
It was love – with wonder so huge
For my best friend
Just outside my window

Through the years I grew up
Stumbling, hurting and regretting
Made errors and got betrayed
But my friend – my loyal companion
Basking in the sun
Bathing in the rain
And dancing in the wind
Healed me, with peace and serenity so pure and true
My troubles washing away
As long as I had my best friend, standing guard 
Just outside my window

My best friend welcomed even the hostile
When a baby crow popped its head
From the little nest resting on his arm
Or when a couple of eagles marked their territory
Majestic – on my best friend’s shoulders
Making his green leaves sway with pride
So generous, so kind – my best friend
Just outside my window

Seasons change and so does my best friend
His lush green robe withering with the fall
Birds long gone – to stay warm
The smoke and dust choking him
But he stands tall, takes all the blows
Never complaining
Absorbing it all through the dark days and cold nights
Just to emerge brighter with the summer
Wearing the green crown of victory
So strong, so resilient – my best friend
Just outside my window

I watch him – my best friend
Throughout the years, watching over me
Till I grow old one day
As years later
Another three-year-old sees my best friend
With her small, innocent eyes, wide with wonder and joy
Amidst hundreds of beating hearts and their concrete abodes
Standing alone, watching over her
Her best friend
Just outside her window

Mekhla Dhar
Apeejay School, Noida
Class-12-B