Development is slowly eating the village. Every project begins with razing a small forest to the ground, leaving a scraped moonscape. Big machines rumble across the land, chewing the earth. "Progress" is even making its way into Tonquin park, with its forested trails. We untie surveyor tags on the branches to slow it down. Our lovely maple was murdered last week because the building manager hates trees. "They've all got to go!" he roars. My friend lays flowers on the bleeding stump, with tears, In Memoriam.
In fall, they hasten
to fell trees. The rain will weep
for them all winter.
For Toni's prompt at Real Toads: Mono no Aware : the sadness of things passing.
This is so sad. Someone needs to beat that landlord with a tree. The haiku is so beautiful and perfect for mono no aware. Thank you for posting to my prompt.
ReplyDeleteWe have murdered far too many trees, we burn too much coal .. worldwide. And we wonder what is happening, we question climate change. Sad.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Toni. Beat that man, beat him hard.
ReplyDeleteThat's sad about the trees. I like the haiku.
ReplyDeleteHow can anyone hate trees?
ReplyDeleteHalf an hour ago he felled a tree the wrong way, and it fell the wrong way onto my deck and narrowly missed hitting my friend who was filming, he had to run fast. Then he felled a second tree AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED. Doesnt even know how to do it safely.......OMG. Even I know you notch it to make it fall away from you. I woke this morning looking at the beautiful wall of green out my window - there are trees behind the fallen ones, but it is not the same. Sigh.
ReplyDeletep.s. He states he is cutting them so they WONT fall on the building. Because of him, TWO did, which likely wouldnt happen in a hundred years as these are young firm healthy trees a distance away from the building. OMG.
ReplyDeleteOh, sad indeed!
ReplyDeleteTruly, a murderer and doesn't realize it.
ReplyDeleteSo sad
ReplyDeleteI don't like tall, heavy dying trees too close to the house. We had one that the cutters said we were lucky we got it before it fell on the chimney and kids bedroom. Rotten through! Some roots damage houses... but other than that I love love old trees - especially old cedar trees. I so want to see the huge cedar trees out your way someday... Lovely poem - just the right amount of sadness
ReplyDeleteSad, sad Sherry. It reminds me of the song, " Big Yellow Taxi " the refrain,
ReplyDelete"Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got til its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot…"
..
Ugh!... I feel this one in my core.
ReplyDeleteWow, Sherry, your poem is such a rich description of what many would consider a really pedestrian activity. "Scraped moonscape" is perfect. And your play-by-play in the comments, argh!
ReplyDeleteTwo years ago a tall conifer outside our bedroom window had to be taken down. It was good, the tree was unhealthy and threatened to fall in a stiff wind. But I'm still not over the loss. Sigh.
xoxo to you and your wisdom!
I think the whole world has gone crazy not to protest as this continuous abuse of our planet in so many ways. Can't we see ant further than today and can't we envisage what sort of world our children and grandchildren will have to live in? Surely there's more than just us poets with eyes that can see?
ReplyDeleteoh the march of development is such a heavy step backwards - this poem brings to the fore a love of trees and how we mourn their passing
ReplyDeleteI love the flow of your haiku too
p.s. I clicked on the image and see a face with sad closed eyes in that stump - how I wish your building manager could see it too
This is gorgeous, Sherry. I hate seeing trees cut down.
ReplyDeleteGet Rosemary to put a curse on him.
ReplyDeleteSo sorrowful when trees are sacrificed... I cannot hate trees, but if the trees undermine our house it has to go... but this doesn't sound like that at all.
ReplyDelete