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The Grass Blade & The Tree
A Poem by MANPREET KAUR SINGH
The grass blade asked the tall green tree
Why is it that you tower over me?
We are born of the same Creator,
Are part of the same Creation;
The same soil nurtures us,
The same sun sustains us,
The same rain falls upon us,
The same seasons befall us.
Yet how is it that you kiss the sky
And I just lay at your feet?
The tree thought, looked around, and saw
A vivacious Purple flower and asked,
How is it that you are so beautiful?
I am tall and majestic, yet only green,
Like the tiny grass blade below me.
What makes you so purple, so attractive, so desirable?
And then the withered old tree spoke, burnt, leafless, naked.
Why is it that you compare, judge, measure?
There is no contest in God's garden.
Each plant is special, each one unique.
The tree is majestic because of its height,
The flower is pretty because of its colour, and
The grass is beautiful because its there, unassuming.
Ask not "Why am I NOT like others"
Or "Why others are better than me",
Ask instead, am I the best that I could ever be?
If the grass were as tall as the tree
And the flower the same colour of green
Would god's garden have any of its normal glory?
Look at me: I am leafless, dying, burnt.
Yet I stand tall and proud.
When I was younger, towering and leafy
I had to produce a shadow twice my height,
To protect the tiny plants that grew beneath, and
To repay nature's due for nurturing me.
Now it's the others turn to repay nature.
While I can still stand tall and proud
Because I know I just have to continue to be me!
So from now on, don't judge, question or contend.
Just be the very best you can be.
Dear grass blade, ask not to be as tall as the tree,
But ask, am I the best grass blade that ever could be?
Conversation about this article
1: Inni Kaur (Fairfield, CT, U.S.A.), June 09, 2010, 8:38 AM.
Exquisite! Everyone is unique, Everyone has a place. Recognize your uniqueness, Recognize your place. The rest will follow.
2: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), June 09, 2010, 8:44 AM.
Manpreet ji, you remind me of Bhai Vir Singh ji's look at the humble plant in his famous poem - 'Binafsha da Phul' - The Violet Flower, and his refrain was to be left alone: "Meray chhupay rehan de chaah tey chhupay jaan di haan puree hondi nai, mein tarlay la-aa rehay" (Lehran da Har). "I seek to live in solitude, And wither and cease". The full poem: "Let my blossom live in solitude,/ Sheltered by the mountain's ledge,/ Let no evil eye feast its lust on me,/ I live on the world's edge .../ My hues are soft, low-toned, I wave tenderly like a reed;/ I seek to nourish poverty/ In a world of greed. I feed myself on heaven's dews,/ With sun is filled my life's bowl,/ At night the moonlight sweetens/ The fragrance of my soul./ When winds, in their pitiless/ Furl, hug me, break my bones,/ I lie low in their highways, and make no moans -/ I seek to live in solitude,/ And wither and cease./ But the eyes of the scent-crusher seek me,/ And break my peace ..." (The credit for this exquisite translation goes to Dr. Gopal Singh)
3: Ravneet Kaur (Melbourne, Australia), June 09, 2010, 7:15 PM.
Love the poem. How true for each and everyone of us. Love it.
4: Kuljit Kaur (Perth, West Australia), June 09, 2010, 8:10 PM.
Awesome! So beautifully expressed. We are all different and we are all special. Each of us has our own unique space and place. Thank you, Manpreet ji.
5: Shabbir Wahid (Melbourne, Australia), June 09, 2010, 9:39 PM.
Wow! Congratulations. It is exquisite indeed! Just be the very best you can be ... is the essence of existence. Well done.
6: Amardeep Kaur (Australia), June 10, 2010, 6:59 AM.
Beautifully crafted and captured in words!
7: Gurminder Kaur (Melbourne, Australia), June 10, 2010, 9:30 AM.
Just love it ... how true and touching it is! A great piece of work.
8: Iqbal Singh Bhan (Canton, Michigan, U.S.A.), June 10, 2010, 10:27 AM.
We are so proud of you and reading your poem makes us feel good. God bless you for the work you are doing. Keep on sharing your thoughts through your writing.