With you on preference for person-powered rakes, Max. One plane tree is
fine but when you get squadrons of them all lined up as massive street
trees as in Aix-en-Provence, even my hay fever free constitution arcs up.
Particularly zangs the eyes that flying pollen. But you wouldn't have it
any other way. They are so graceful and offering so much green shade. Those
leaf blowers: only two excuses for them: when you can't take leaves on
loose pebbles or, apparently they are very useful for clearing out the
spouting. Still it's better without their decibels.
Bill
On Thursday, November 5, 2015, Max Richards <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Under the Plane Tree
>
> Turning a corner on Capitol
> Hill North, dog and I startle:
> the nerve-wracking metal din
> of some big rackety machine!
>
> Seattle Parks and Recreation
> have sent a pickup truck proudly
> logo-ed, and a powerful
> front-end-loader now loudly
>
> scooping up the fallen leaves
> from my favorite plane tree
> that’s constantly impressed me
> here for over twelve months.
>
> Tall, broad, shapely, not lopped like
> so many city trees; in a grassy
> triangle. Summer's youth leaned bikes
> on its mottled trunk, camping overnight!
>
> I’d rather person-power took
> leaves quietly - man with rake!
> Ah, there’s one! straight back,
> strong arms, and muffled
>
> after last night’s almost-frost.
> Elsewhere these men are armed
> with leaf-litter-blowers
> of high-decibel powers.
>
> Yesterday’s prompted - between
> me and another street-wanderer
> of my extreme vintage - mimed
> exchanges: ‘Can’t hear you!
>
> Dreadful din!’ ‘Noise pollution!’
> It’s Fall (as I’ve learned to say,
> still preferring ‘autumn’
> in my bookish way)
>
> not of course just here
> but ‘temperate latitudes’
> round this hemisphere -
> while Melbourne dudes
>
> (so I read in The Age online)
> under Carlton’s London planes
> are stuffed with springtime’s
> pollen till their sinuses
>
> succumb, and worse! - fibres
> that choke! Strange! I must be immune.
> Keep your distance, plane-tree lovers,
> maybe wear masks like canny Japanese.
>
> Find shops and cafes far from these
> lovely dangerous deciduous trees.
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