Tree Snatchers

A Tribute to all the Tree snatchers and Soul stealers

I applaud your actions, The actions that don’t simmer at the end of nightfall but creates a ripple through a generation. *Slow clap*

My neighbour is a proud member of the tree snatcher society who’s laid graves to all my dear half siblings in my yard. I lost three brothers – coconut trees in the year of 2006 may due to a complaint raised by them. A complaint my parent turned a deaf ear to until they were willing to take the brawl to the streets. My parents gave in and had to behead the coconut trees, Their sin being – to have dropped coconuts that crash into one such window of theirs (a window that belongs to a wall that doesn’t respect any set back measures and almost aligns with the compound wall).

The Serial killer never rests he always strikes again after his patient wait. The next prey was our neem tree, thankfully my parents stood their ground this time and so did the tree. Oh the complaint you ask, what could one blame a neem tree for? Isn’t it such sweet loveable creature. It was that it’s extended branch was shedding too much within their meter wide set back.

They kept pestering us insolently to cut it short while we remained complacent, assuming they wouldn’t take matters into their hand. And one evening we found our neem’s crippled branches cut and thrown vengefully across our backyard weighing down on our young trees – the future generation. I was caught by surprise when my mother let out a mournful gasp when she saw such a cruel sight.

It was after Nightfall and we couldn’t possibly do anything about the heaving branches that must be crushing the vilvam tree (the one my mother nurtured every morning for the past year) We were unclear of the fate of our three hibiscus shrubs that were smiling happily just this morning. All hope was lost and with dried tears we picked up the litter off the ground (the amputated arm of our neem). Thankfully the shrubs and green beings had just been fighting the war of survival the previous night and had successfully stayed alive.

My mother smiled to see the courage her vilvam possessed and immediately hugged it. I’d always teased her that among the three vilvam that were planted a year back, The one she was pampering every day was stunted and remained to be 3 feet high while it’s brothers were a glorious 7-8 feet tall. But all the pampering gave it strength to take on this danger, I believe.

The Neem tree fiasco had occurred during the month of May 2020 and we had a period of calm before the next strike happened. It was August when the neighbour kept ringing my mother yet again, we were all rolling our eyes and didn’t want to deal with the negativity. This time it was about the Moringa tree at the edge of our yard that had extended its branches towards their plot. The branch had carried along with it a few blanket worms that was nuisance to them. I’m not posing any form of advocacy for the blanket worms here but frankly it was just in the edge and wasn’t in a major pathway or sort, it could have been avoided all together.

This time their action was immediate, They had given us a couple of days and after the silence they’d chopped off the branches. The tree stood bare and stunted while all its branches were haphazardly thrown in our yard.

My question here is – Can I demolish their apartment under the protest that it’s a nuisance to me? Will that be acceptable cause they pulled down the house of a few sparrows when they trimmed off the neem tree. If territory is what is in question why do humans own all the land and other living beings are to be killed if it’s a nuisance to them. We were not bothered by the blanket worms – thee moringa tree was their territory I would mind if they invaded my house. Shouldn’t that apply both ways?

I'm not even sure how to avenge the trees that lost arms. The law only supports trees along the road and action will be taken only when it has been cut down. If the Law is detailed to support human violence against each other. My neem tree deserves the same. What Action can I take against them in order to safe guard the rest of the living beings that may now be living in fear.

If John wick can fight for his dog, I can fight for my Neem