I did this poem when I was sitting in the backyard at home in northern Rwanda before I leave for the program in London. My dad is a naturalist so he has a collection of so many plants including fruits, flowers, herbal medicine,… The avocado tree is the biggest but not the tallest however, still very tall. It was very interesting to imagine how it sees its environment.

I am an avocado tree ,

My neighbor is sugarcane

Unlike me her leaves are longer and hairy

Her stem is shorter and weaker

But she is closer to earth  

Unlike me, people eat her stem not her fruits

Maybe it’s better to love your children than yourself? But I am sure sugarcane doesn’t agree

As her children always grow

But how can I know, my fruits go but I bear more and more!!!



I see mango,

Well she kinda looks like me

But I am bit bigger,

Her fruits are green, maroon and yellow

And it makes her colorful



I see flowers on the other side in their majestic colors

Yellow, red , pink

They blend in very nicely with my green

They smell like home

And I am happy to share my home with them.



I always tell aloe vera,

That if she was tall like me,

She could also see the 4 volcanoes up north

As the clouds move away

Their tops great the sun

And bless me with the best background in pictures!



It’s peaceful here but with the rise in signs of humanity

Night lights

Car noise

Are annoying

Either way,

I am happy to be here

I like this community with apple, sugarcane, aloe vera, passion fruit tree, papaya trees, strawberries and many more!

I am cared for

And I pay back with my oxygen and of course my nutrients filled avocados 🥑.