A River Flowed Near Her House

After the wedding,

we were visiting his relatives

in nearby villages.

That's someone’s backyard

part of a river meanderd,

Can you believe it?

Coconut palms grew like weeds,

and selling coconuts

was a major source of income.

There was screw pine, water hyacinth,

pumpkin and vegetables,

ample verdant to rest the eyes.

Then she was married

to a city guy.

I asked her

if she had a backyard,

like her parent's?

With a sad face,

she told that

she sees green of any kind

only when she goes,

to the small roof

on the top of the house.

It is a heavily crowded

and costly city,

no space for trees.

How will a person

not feel depressed,

if access to nature is snatched away

and one is trapped,

among noise and people?