Old Tree

I’m an old tree living
in a small neighborhood,
I have lived here for as long
as I could remember.

Back then, the neighborhood
was a bundle of activities.
In the day, I would see
young kids playing & running around,
housewives in small groups chatting happily with their marketing trolleys,
& commuters rushing to work.
The nights were usually peaceful,
with couples strolling &
whispering sweet nothings
in the moonlight.
They were common scenes
I saw in my days.

With the passage of time,
familiar faces I used to see
began fading away,
till no longer seen.
Buildings were reduced to debris,
turning the neighbourhood
into a quiet & lonely place,
Yet there I stood, rooted firmly
in my ground.

By & by, modern structures were built, giving the neighbourhood
a "new lease of life",
New happy faces started rolling in.
The neighborhood resumed
its former glory,
bustling with new life,
Yet there I remained, unchanged,
save for a few extra "wrinkles"
& a "thinner" crown.

Through the sands of time,
I have seen ceaseless faces
come & go,
New structures looking fancier
with each facelift,

Yet there I stayed,
grounded where I was.