The Thorn Tree.
There is a very large thorn tree standing just in front of our porch. We planted it in 1972 when we moved into the house. It has grown up with me from a small sapling, and I have watched it grow over the last thirty-five years.
Now that the tree is full grown it is about 25-30 meters tall. The circumference of its trunk is probably almost two meters, which is very large for a thorn tree. Its wood must weigh several tons. It is very large and its branches spread out at the top to provide ample shade for the house and the front garden. We trimmed the lower branches about two years ago, and they were very large and heavy. The remaining top branches are also very big and heavy.
Now that the tree is mature, it is beautiful. At the end of summer it bloomed, and this was a beautiful spectacle of small, bright yellow blooms, all over the large old thorn tree. It is healthy, and throughout the year the branches are lush with tiny green leaves. This covering grows, and gets shed by the tree, all the time. It leaves a large covering of fine foliage all over the ground, and the roof of the house. It is a healthy tree, and we keep it free of termites. Birds of all kinds make use of its branches, and find food, like insects, on it. It is a wonderful tree to behold.
These days I like sitting on the porch under the shade of the thorn tree, drinking coffee, and watching the cars drive past in the street in front of our house. I have a special bond with the tree, almost spiritual, having grown up alongside it all these years. I like thinking of this old thorn tree as my friend…
The End.
Copyright – JP Brown – 21/03/2007.
