‘Cherry Tree’, a narrative poem which tells the story of the birth and growth of a cherry tree by the poet, Ruskin Bond. He carefully divides the poem in three distinct division of a proper beginning, a middle and an end as we usually find in a story.
The story begins with the planting of a seed of a cherry which the poet, a young boy sows in order to have a tree of his own. He forgets to take care of the planted seed but the plant, with the help of nature and rain has a natural growth. On its journey to its growth, it faces many odds in life, but by sheer will-power survives all adversities. Meanwhile, the poet has to go to Kashmir. When he comes back he is surprised to see a full-six-feet high fruit bearing tree at his door. The poet is ecstatic in this middle part of the story.
At the end of the story, the poet spends time in company of his cherry tree from dawn to dusk, enjoying the sights and sounds, birds and insects, the bright sun and the twinkling stars. He concludes the poem expressing his pride for being the creator of such an atmosphere because of his own cherry tree.
The poem shifts to different places at different times as it begins in the poet’s garden where the cherry tree has been sowed, tells the readers about the poet’s visit to Kashmir, comes back to see the cherry tree at his door and finally ends at his garden where the cherry tree stands tall.
The cherry tree is the protagonist, that is, the main character of the story which narrates the different phases of the life of the tree in a span of eight years. The poet, the owner of the cherry tree also represents a character of the story since he is the one who is involved in the life of the tree. Sometimes actively and sometimes by narrating the happening in its life. Apart from these two main characters, there are some small characters like the goats, the grass cutter, the birds and insects who also play small but significant roles in the story.
There is definitely a continuity in the presentation of the story in a sequence. From the planting of the cherry seed in the poet’s garden, its life as a baby with tall grasses hiding it, its struggle for survival without having much care, its aggressive growth to get light, air and sun and finally becoming a six-feet high fruit-bearing tree.
There is no direct conversation among the poet, the readers and the other characters in the poem but the presentation of the happenings in the story makes it appear as if the cherry tree is expressing its desires and determinations to the poet. In the beginning of the poem also the poet tells his readers the reason for his sowing the cherry seed and that is given in direct speech as if he is talking to his readers.
It is a time-bound poem since the sowed cherry seed grows into a full-grown tree in a span of eight years. The poet also intermittently, keeps on mentioning about the change of season during the growth of the tree, his stay in Kashmir for one season and finally after his return his feeling of happiness or seeing the fruit-bearing six feet high tree.
