'Mangosteoporosis'

My brother laughed when I told him that
my mango tree was stricken with 'mangos-
teoporosis'. The result is that it is a
drastically reduced version of its former
self and the anthithesis of the image that
one has of a mango tree: thick, gloriously
green foliage with innumerable branches,
home to myriad birds and small animals,
and a shady ground below.
Two years ago, when the March wind blew
fast and furious, a branch bearing about
twenty-five tender mangoes unceremonious-
ly snapped and fell down. I did go through
the 'why-my-mango-tree' phase which took
some time to pass. But as if that wasn't
enough, last year, right after the flower-
ing season, the wind wreaked havoc again.
This time it was another big branch. I sup-
pose that something must be lacking in
its innards that every time the wind
blows hard it has to break like a brittle
bone!
The betel nut tree, its immediate neighbour,
sways dangerously during a storm but as soon
as the wind fades to a whisper, it stands
unscathed--proud and tall again.
My mango tree will take some more years to
recover from the brunt and also to lend
more credibility to its name. A crow
family had religiously nested on its higher
reaches year after year. But now no bird
worth its glossy feather will deign to
build its Home Tweet Home. At least not
for a while.......