Kenya’s Nobel Laureate Professor Wangari Maathai’s Facebook update of a few minutes ago asked us all to plant a tree today. I live in the United States, so the message wasn’t meant for me. On the campus where I live at the moment, the gardens and things that have to do with planting are handled by a special group of volunteers who make sure that the campus remains green, and beautiful. It is the same for my University in Ibadan. The last time I visited it, I was greeted by fresh scents of breeze blowing through leaves of newly planted trees.
Were this not the case however, I still would not know how to plant trees. I do not know what a tree seedling looks like. I can recognize a few trees by name: mango, guava, iroko (barely) and teak but I have never been good at tree planting. Growing up as a child in a large compound with trees of guava, iyeye and a few others of plantain and banana littered around the house, I am appreciative of their enticing pleasures. The first time I was stung by a bee was from throwing stones at their mound seen on the iyeye tree within our compound. I spent other countless moments of childhood revelry bouncing on top of branches of the guava tree behind my mother’s bedroom. I can’t imagine what childhood would have been like without those experiences. Just thinking about them brings the feeling of cool breeze back around my head.
Plants, greenery add colour and lustre to our lives in many ways than one. On this day designated to celebrate the planting of trees and the contribution and value of forests and forestry to the community, I join those who know how, with only words alas, but also with fond memories of climbing on trees.
And oh, it’s also World Poetry Day. Now what does one have to say about that?
Spring has (un)officially begun where I am, and you can tell. You can tell from the energy of the geese, the rustle of leaves, the glare of the sun and the coolness of the wind. The trees haven’t got their leaves back, but from this change of weather, we know for sure that Spring is on its way. It is here. I went out yesterday and felt the glare of the sun. For the first time in months, I saw so many people outside. At the lake behind my residence, there were at least two people fishing because the lake is not frozen anymore. It now runs like a fresh spring. It is beautiful. But, it is still fifteen degrees celcius. In Nigeria that is the temperature at Christmas. I told someone that and he laughed uncontrollably. Yes, it is hot for you Americans.
The first thing you need to know is that I can never spell this word right the first time without looking at the dictionary. I’ve always wondered why something so gender-specific, personal, and so ubiquitous could be so difficult to spell. I have never had any problems spelling ubiquitous, nor pronouncing it. In short, I’ve never had the same problem I have had with the word testosterone with any other problematic long words in the interminable lexicon of the English language ;).