This is a short-
a very short
story that keeps happening
on the (still) lush
stage
of the City of Parks
repeating itself / a compulsive .gif / damaging / the canopy-green screen of my city
Indeed it was beautiful
and blue
when the first
development proposal
was presented
for review
7 minutes
On this site, 25 of 26 trees will get killed
(Climate change impacts lives)
‘Thank you for your comments, madam.‘
11 minutes
76 of 76 trees of which 59 are alder…
(Canopy and related ecosystems)
‘Thank you for your comments, madam.‘
13 minutes
33 of 33 trees, every single one…
(GMO trees- no shade, no hold- will take their place)
‘Thank you for your comments, madam.‘
15 minutes
34 of 34 trees, 23 are Douglas Fir…
Actually, 67 trees. A clarification.
(a tree for a tree)
‘Thank you very much, sir.’
20 minutes
Save-shrubs-from-another-land-development proposal.
(a tree for every tree)
‘Thank you for your comments, madam.‘
22 minutes
21 of 39 trees are going to get killed
(a tree for every profit-damned earth-loving brown-ass tree)
‘Thank you for your comments, madam.‘
All in favour? ALL
– all in favor
Against? NONE
– none against
Carried! ALL
– all carried
222 trees killed / in less than 30 minutes / during a meeting / that happens every other week.
It’s a pity
trees in this city
have roots.
They could run for their lives
with legs
and boots.
A poem by Fauzia Rafique
This poem takes from, and rearranges, the text of an opinion piece written by Columnist Tom Zytaruk for the July 9, 2019 edition of Surrey Now-Leader. (tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com)
surreynowleader.com/opinion/zytaruk-and-just-like-that-surreys-trees-disappear
The poem also repeats lines from ‘Good News…’
Photo from Surrey Nature Centre.
..
Fauzia Rafique 