Every January the Ebony tree bursts in small white blossoms. All the branch edges and the slender twigs cover in plastic-like small flowers which emit a fragrance that can only be described as magical. The January breeze shakes the twigs and makes the blossoms fall and shatter into a million tiny petals. These petals hide the soft sand under a flowery carpet. The cool air around the Ebony tree absorbs the fragrance and spreads it across the whole area inviting bees and all sorts of honey collectors. Squirrels scamper on tree branches shaking more of the small white flowers and sending yellow-billed babblers flying in flocks. There are other insects and butterflies of different colours. The common Jezebel 🦋 is frequently seen fluttering by against the soft breeze.
The cool and dark shade under this magical tree is always inviting. But it is this particular time of the year that makes the experience whole. The cool wind on the skin, the sigh of the wind in ears, the perfume of the blossoms in nostrils, and the view of sweet little flowers in the eyes make me want to breathe a little deeper. At the same time, it shows the observer how impermanent things are and how fast time flies. This beautiful experience I am enjoying now will be gone sooner than I think. The white flowers will be shattered and withered under the tree just to be turned into dust and soil. The fragrance will fade as the blooming comes to a halt. And the experience under the ebony tree will transform into something different as January slowly desiccates into the dryer and warmer February.
Last year’s Ebony bloom experience still feels like yesterday. But here I am standing under the same tree admiring her latest bloom in a brand new year. The ebony tree will blossom in all the years to come. Every year she will transform this plot of land into a different world for a few days. And I will be waiting to share that few days with her.