I snapped this photo on this day, also a Saturday, six years ago. Yesterday, I saw three lovely Poui trees, each in a different spot. I wasn’t able to stop and take photos, which was a pity because the first tree was absolutely gorgeous. The thick carpet of golden leaves on the grass was breathtaking, like myriad drops of sunshine.

At the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies, it’s said that when the Poui trees start blooming, it means exams are around the corner. If you haven’t started studying by the start of this season, yuh corna daak!

Fun and jokes aside, the Poui tree has a special place in my heart because it teaches me the subtle art of letting go with ease and grace.

To celebrate the season of this lovely tree, enjoy “Poui” by Lorna Goodison, Jamaica’s Poet Laureate, 2017-2020:

She don’t put out for just anyone.
She waits for HIM
and in his high august heat
he takes her
and their celestial mating
is so intense
that for weeks her rose-gold dress
lies tangled around her feet
and she don’t even notice.