Our Orange Tree

English Translation: Madhuri Palaji

Telugu Original : Dr K.Geeta

The orange tree in our backyard is a mother now

With hundreds of beautiful oranges

A lively tree filled with

Complete motherhood

Beautiful skin tone from head to toe

Like it gave birth to morning rays

Like all the colors decided 

And turned into orange 

When sky packed 

And gifted rainbow

Loving mother

Who held an umbrella of round stars

In our backyard

Until yesterday, with its empty branches

It used to observe me and the kids silently

Like it understood the mother’s heart

It used to swing kids on its branches

Until they forgot everything

It bloomed for the first time, six months ago

A beautiful morning

Happily swayed its head

To all the questions that are asked

It became the mother of young adults so soon

Until few days back

Behind green leaves

The baby oranges were so small

Hidden somewhere

Before that

They were perfumed white flowers

They creeped the mother tree quickly and greedily

Now and always

Swaying the branches heavily in the breeze

Laughs with oranges

Reminding us to carry life’s weights

Modestly

Tells the stories of victories

While spreading close towards the wall

Much before that

I became a gardener

Digging the earth for the tree

Watering every day

Cleaning the weeds

And looking after it daily

As soon as the flowers started smelling

Touching the hands of tree

Assuring

The sad tree

Asking not to give up

When the flowers fell due to sudden wind

Accompanying and sharing

The smiles of the growing baby fruit

Arranging strong sticks

To the heavy branches of fruits

Giving assurance with motherly hands

Now I became the mother

To the Orange tree

*****

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2 thoughts on “Our Orange Tree (Telugu Original “Maa Narinja Chettu” by Dr K.Geeta)”

  1. The poem “ Our orange Tree” reads like a celebration of Motherhood.
    One can draw an analogy between the protagonist ( A mother of kids) and the fruit -bearing orange tree . The tree nourishes the fruits,cuddles them, bears their burden happily . The poet here sees a lesson to mankind to accept and carry the burdens of life uncomplainingly.
    The poem begins with the orange tree becoming a mother and ends up with the protagonist becoming the mother to it. She tends to the orange tree by providing support to its heavy branches full of fruits, sharing its joys and touching its ‘hands ‘ ( not branches) lovingly. This establishes the bond between Nature and Man.
    Poetic descriptions like the orange tree full of fruits “appearing like it gave birth to morning rays” and the tree looking like an “ umbrella of round stars” elevated the poignancy of the poem.
    Dr. Geetha seems to take cues from life around and Nature for her poetic explorations. Congratulations Geetha. Madhuri Palaji who translated the poem deserves praise.

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