Don’t Plant Trees

People shouldn’t plant trees.
If they do, they’ll plant mango, litchi, or teak and sal,
At most, a few krishnachura or radhachura saplings.
No one will nurture trees that don’t serve human needs,
Truth be told, their forests would be no more than gardens.

It’s better to leave the land alone,
Lift the hand that tramples the grass,
Let people step away without planting a single seed,
Leaving the land empty.
Then, nature will reveal its true magic,
Birds will bring the future forest,
Clouds will gift it with showers,
No tree will be harmful, each touch will be precious,
The soil will make no distinction.
If people step back from their ‘green missions’,
The forest will become authentic.

Step back, humankind, and please, don’t plant trees.
Your idea of fields and crops,
Barely imagined,
Planting hybrid trees between skyscrapers, boasting greenery galore,
No seeds, no saplings, no water, no fertilizer,
If the nuisance sapiens move away from the land,
Dense forests will grow on their own,
If humans no longer claim the earth as their own,
Believe me,
The earth will heal all its ailments on its own.

Stop planting trees,
Rather, remove humans from the trees,
Then the next generation will have a true forest.

And yes, ensure they don’t go near the trees,
I hope you’ll teach them that with care.