Recently, I was walking along my usual morning route and had a great shock. An old shady tree that I usually walk under, its branches dipping over the fence, had been brutally murdered and torn apart. I knew that they were rebuilding the house but didn’t expect them to desecrate the tree and the ground beneath.
There are ways for us to integrate nature, especially those already well established, into our architecture and planning. It just needs slightly more effort and imagination. Such unnecessary loss and so here is my tribute to the tree.
Gnarly trunk that begs to be touched,
and low hanging branches reaching out
You waited quietly and patiently.
I wish to have sat underneath you,
Alas, you were forbidden to me
A tree in a private garden.
I loved walking under your shade
As I passed you on my daily walks
A welcome and friendly sight.
My heart breaks seeing you in pieces
Your limbs torn apart
As the digger desecrate the ground beneath you.
And what for?
A concrete parking space to house cars
For the new owners of the house
Know that your memory lives on
In me and all the creatures that you sheltered
Forever in our hearts
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