Spring, and the trees are translucent.
One can hardly tell leaf from parrot
berries from beak
red splash on wing from veins that tingle.

Two trees-and a garbage heap.
The garbage brings the barbets.
The parrots love the peepul tree.
There's bulbul singing in the ashoka.
Throw in sparrows, crows and mynahs,
you have your common city garden
complete with pandemonium at dawn.
The lady on the third floor says
We should cut down the trees
she can't sleep for the noise.
Lady, you're a fingernail
scratching a blackboard.

About the Poem

The poem talks about spring in a corner of the city, where two trees attract a large number of birds every morning. The poet also describes how self-centered people can be, placing their comfort above the beauty of Nature.

Eunice De Souza (born 1940) is a contemporary Indian poet and novelist who writes in English. She has published several poems and has also edited many anthologies and collections.

translucent : allowing light to pass through, but in such a way that objects on the other side are not visible

tingle : feel a kind of thrilling sensation

barbets : small brightly coloured birds with short weak wings

bulbul : a common songbird found in Asia and Africa

ashoka : an evergreen tree sacred  to hindus, jains and Buddhists

pandemonium : wild uproar or chaos.