Gieve Patel’s ‘On Killing a Tree’ is an excellent ironical poem. In the poem, the work of cutting down a tree becomes a violent ritual. This ceremonial task of killing a tree is purely ironical as man kills his best friend in a triumphant mode. The last line of the poem says: “And then it is done.” The line suggests that great success is achieved in the end. This is nothing but a devastating success. It is an act of extreme brutality, cold-blooded murder of a living thing. The title of the poem is ‘On Killing a Tree’ but at the outset of the poem, the poet tells us how a tree grows up to its full feature. The tree grows slowly, consuming the earth and absorbing water, air and sunlight for years. It is the same sun that dries up and destroys the tree. The use of irony makes the poem interesting and rich in meaning.