The other day, a very hopeful person pointed through his window at a flamboyant tree, with its bare and sprawling woody branches stretching across his yard, and he spoke to his neighbour about the tree.
“You see that ugly and bare tree?” he asked, adding: “Someday it will spring to life and bloom again. Just like that tree, Anguilla will flourish again.”
For the past months, Anguilla has had a long period of drought – severely hampering the growth of vegetation and resulting in empty cisterns across the island. As is the normal case, however, especially during the summer, flamboyant trees shed their leaves and blossoms and appear to be dead.
While some of them have in fact died, during the harsh conditions, others are springing to life again creating much beauty in various parts of the island. In some islands, the flamboyant is regarded as their national flower. In Anguilla, however, the white cedar is recognised as the national flower and this, to some extent, is being taught to schoolchildren. However, with the prevailing drought, the majority of these white cedar trees are just sprigs in the air. But, in time, like the flamboyant tree, they will bloom again.
Just so, hopefully, as the man referred to above, stated, Anguilla will flourish again one day, overcoming its economic and financial woes brought on, in large measure, by the COVID-19 pandemic.
