The Unkindest Cut

There lies the tree,

That

Stood by my window once

So proud and so free.

There it lies,

Embracing the earth that nurtured it,

Staring at the sun that strengthened it,

Lamented by the breeze that caressed it.

Did not fall,

Had to be felled.

Not an easy job,

Deep roots wrenched out

Hefty boughs chopped up

Ancient bark stabbed upon,

Repeatedly.

Still, not enough.

The most unkindest cut

Of

Ingratitude

And

Betrayal.

And then,

The End.

-      By Rositta Joseph Valiyamattam (from her poetry collection ‘A Poet’s Promise’, Black Eagle Books USA, 2025).