They paved paradise
Put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot
They took all the trees
Put ’em in a tree museum
Then they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see ’em
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone?
They paved paradise
Put up a parking lot — Joni Mitchell
Once upon a time, there was a lovely little park nestled inside our little town. For decades, this little park has been the spot where littles learned to swing and their parents came for a little breath of fresh air.
Surrounding this little park were the most beautiful cottonwood trees. If these trees could talk, they would have stories to tell. Watching generations of locals grow from those tiny tots on swings to grandparents swinging their own littles, they gave shade and comfort on very hot summer days.
Until.
One.
Day.
Just like the mustangs, urbanization brings with it difficult changes. In the case of the cottonwood trees, a chain saw took care of the problem of “liabilities”. In one week’s time, the “Park” has no more trees.
All in the name of making things more modern, the tiny little park is now adorned with colorful awnings. Awnings/6 – Trees/-8. Primary colors provide a dot of shade here or there, while the loveliness of the wind blowing through the leaves of those mature cottonwood trees is just a memory.
When did it become necessary to cut down trees that are more than 1/2 century old? Yes. Things change. Things die. Dat be true. But, these trees had been doing their job shading a park until someone that hadn’t spent much time at “In-Town Park” decided they needed to go.
Our little town needs so much more than chain-saw activity. As our population grows each week, the number of restaurants, grocery stores, and services remain the same. Each week, the paper lists scores of new business permits for things that a growing town doesn’t need, while the traffic congestion gets worse. There must have been a little better use of funds and time than removing beautiful trees that cleaned our air and calmed the spirit.
Now, this little park is quite barren. The earth is being ripped open to put a walking trail around this tiny piece of ground. Last Saturday, parents sat in the open sun while watching their daughters play softball. I would guess the park won’t get much use on a summer day here in the desert, unless one is lucky enough to get under one of the colorful patches of shade.
There’s really nothing more to say about this sad situation. Joni Mitchell had it right. Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone…..