NJC Raintree
On 13 August 2017, the NJC raintree that was the centrepiece in our college grounds had a huge branch snapped by a heavy thunderstorm. After inspection, the tree had to be cut down for safety reasons. Our teachers and students created music and poetry in remembrance of the raintree that had witnessed the growth of many batches of NJCians.
Instagram Feed of the Raintree by NJC Greenlink
Music Video "Remembering Ye Olde Raintree" by NJC Aesthetics Department
Our illustrious Aesthetics Department composed a song to remember this ol'tree that has been with us for many years and now a memory for many generations of NJCians.
Poems
Penned with heartfelt emotions, words that tugged at our heartstrings.
“How Poetree Grows”
Seeds leave
to find its roots
It will be gin
Right now
Tears fall
when thyme gets tough
It will branch just
Hang on
I’m petal than you
Others may bark
Don't be root
It shall reply
It will shoot upwards
Where no one is
It is crowned
And winds with glory
But fame is short lived
It falls down down
Down to earth
Its energy sapped
Will you help me up?
A second chance
Nope, no more
We are all trees
– Sharmaine Teo (2018, JH401)
Just a raintree
Oh it’s just a raintree.
With arms spread across the sky
And darkening the world beneath
Timely rustles to join the symphony
Like the shakers and the cymbals
Paving the way
For its fellow citizens
Green and yellow
All over the ground.
That very night
Wavering in the rain
Shivering in the cold
With tears and rain indistinguishable
Down the long long trunk
Streaming down the ends of the twigs
Letting it fall
Down
Down
Its final service
Service with honour.
Lain in a war beaten field
Fallen leaves paving the ground
Broken twigs never to be returned
And the gasps of its fellow citizens
A deep scrape of the flesh
Open and floored
Torn and tattered
But still with honour.
Rest in peace, oh dear rain tree.
The saw arrived
The rings revealed
Age and history
Unfiltered sun rays
Along with the clear blue sky
A notebook for a prize.
Oh, it's just a raintree
– Lim Yi Ning (2018, JH306)
What are your memories of the majestic raintree? Do leave a comment and share with the NJC family.
