As I lie on hospital bed at the Queen of Mercy Hospital, Ijegun in what used to be my Childhood home, in a hospital ward that used to be my late Paternal Grandmother’s room, I have stared out of the window at this Mango tree.
I am wondering how this tree has survived this long! It has been cut down, pruned, trimmed yet, it never died!
Now, a shadow of its past, yet, it stands strong, rigid and secure, firm rooted.
By my calculation, this tree cannot be less than 37 years old!
I watched the Nurses who came to check on me complain about it and say they wish they could just get some fruits to eat of it and I laughed and told them that; are they aware this tree is not less than 37 years old? They opened their mouths wide agape.
Yes, this one tree has fed many, many who may not even recall that it exists.
I am happy to see some of the fruit trees we left when we moved out of here and even see a small Pawpaw tree growing where we used to have a tree we call in Nigeria; ‘fruit’ for a reason I cannot understand.
Beside this Coconut tree, we had a duck pond right next to that small Local kitchen where we had the local ‘clay earthen ware oven and cookstove’ (a cook stove built from clay where you cook with firewood) and right beneath the coconut tree, we had a Pigeon Cage.
I took ill on Sunday right after my Meetup FLOORHAWS (Health and Wellness Meetup) and I have been on hospital admission since Monday. It has being a time of rejuvenation and reminiscing on a lot of my childhood memories.
Have you been to your childhood home in recent time?
What does it look like now? Is it still a home or is there a business running there now?
Just for curiosity sake, do Mango trees usually survive this long with no proper care or attention?
