6. Summary of the poem

"On Killing a Tree" is a poem written by Dr. Gieve Patel. Being an environmentalist, he opposes cutting of trees and uses sarcasm to explain the same in his poetry. He describes in detail that it takes a lot of time and effort to kill a tree that has taken years of nurturing from the earth. A simple jab of the knife cannot kill a tree, nor can the hacking and chopping activity. The cut trees can heal by themselves and sprout miniature boughs again. If left unchecked, it can even grow back to its original size. To kill a tree, one must pull out its roots that are anchored to the earth. The roots are the most powerful part of the tree, which has been hidden inside the ground for many years - it has to be pulled out entirely. Then it is only a matter of scorching and choking in the sun and air. It starts browning, hardening and twisting - then it finally withers down, and the tree is eventually killed.