Envious Apple Tree

Illustration©2010Babetteandfriends

Babette was taking a walk
She noticed a hawk
A sheep and her flock
Then she saw
A very strange old tree
It looked as if it was covered just with flea

O how horrid!
What happened to that poor tree she wondered
The hawk above
Perching on the tree
Said
'I know what happened to this apple tree! my great grand parents told my grandparents my grandparents told my parents my parents told me. I can tell you what happened to that tree'
O Yes, Do tell

So, the Hawk started to tell
The story of the Apple Tree:

In a sunny field facing south
By a river’s mouth
Lived a family of pear trees
And a host of bees

Each spring they held a festival
To cherish it’s arrival
Prepared a festive carnival
That made envious the neighboring apple trees, their rival

One Apple tree in particular was very envious
Of one particular pear tree’s blooms
That were
Larger whiter pinker and had
Lovelier blossoms than hers
Bees congregated on pear’s flowers
More often than apple’s
This made the apple tree jealous and most furious

She wished she was a pear and not an apple
Day and night she imagined what would it be like
To be green and not red
With a smooth silky skin and a soft bite
Not shiny skinned, crunchy and red

But pear tree never knew any of this
She thought apple tree was a sis
After all they were all trees and lived in bliss
If she knew anything was amiss
She would surely been in an abyss

When the envious Apple tree received the invitation for the spring party
She was temporarily green with envy.
'Again, Pear is having the festivity before me'
This time she knew she could not take it!
She summoned the Westerly wind and whispered in his ear:

‘Wind wind my old friend, I know we had our differences,
do me a favor do visit the festivities and blow your mightiest
make sure the pear tree looses all her bloom, then I promise to give you all my apples in season’
The wind liked this arrangement it seemed
Imagining all the delicious apples he will collect in the summer next.

The day of the festivity, the apple tree was very content waiting for the Westerly
She knew it was the end
For her rival the Pear tree
From now on she was going to be
The Belle of the Bees

But, unexpectedly, before the Westerly wind
Arrived a friend of the Pear tree
the Southerly wind
Who blew a mighty breath
So strong all was upside down
And in the hulloboloo
It was the Apple Tree
And not the Pear
Who lost all her budding leaves instead

She shriveled up and dried.


O said Babette:
Yes, indeed everyone has a rival
A czar
A car
A star
A guitar
It is bizarre
How people, animals and things like compare
O it is very incomprehensible
Life is such fanfare

Because each fruit
Because each car
Because each star
Because each tree
Because each animal
Because each person
Has its purpose and place
Best
Don’t covet
But want best
With zest
For all friends
East and West.



EnviousAppleTreeStory©2010Babetteandfriends