When the Kaimito Tree Blooms

Once, a man planted a kaimito tree. He watered it well, tilled the ground around it and put more manure on the soil to fertilize it.

When the kaimito was already full-grown, the farmer’s son loved to rest on the tree’s shade.

The tree grew bigger trunk and more twigs that supported more leaves. The boy loved the tree all the more. Then one day, the farmer visited the tree.

“This kaimito is already full grown. It has sturdy trunk and healthy leaves. But, alas, it bears no fruit!”

As the farmer inspected the kaimito, the boy came and asked his father,

“The shade of the tree is refreshing, isn’t it Tatay?”

“That’s true son. But the tree is not bearing any fruit.” The farmer answered.

“I better do something about it.” With these words the farmer took out his bolo and whacked on the kaimito’s trunk.

“Tatay, don’t! Please don’t hurt the tree!”

The farmer strike whacked the tree’s trunk despite the boy’s sobbing pleads.

 “Tatay,” the boy cried. “you are killing the tree!”

“No, son, I’m not killing the tree.”

“But why are you hacking the tree?”

“Someday child, you will understand why.”

And the farmer left the child crying by the tree.

Some days passed and the boy forgot the incident. Then one day the kaimito tree bloomed and the boy was ecstatic about the tree beautiful coronets.

“Tatay! Tatay! Look at this.” The boy called on his father. “The kaimito finally bloomed. Now you don’t have to cut it down.”

“My child I did not intend to kill the tree. You must understand the tree manufacture food on its leave and send the food through its barks.”

“Then, why did you destroy the barks?  As you explained, they are important.”

“When I whacked on its barks, no permanent damage was done. Rather, the food downward flow was interrupted.”

“But what’s your point tatay?” The boy was confused than ever.

“My child, what happened then is that the branches had surplus food so it bloomed.”

The boy was dumbfounded.

“Thus my boy, I simply taught it how to bloom.”

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Marjonnel