They dragged the trees out like dead bodies, branches bouncing off the pavement like the final twitches of a protesting carcass. The rumble of machinery replaced the once restful glen in the heart of the city.

At first as I approached the area, the jarring sight of warning tape around the area, made it look like a crime scene. In a way it was, as this was one of my favorite spots for quiet reflection. The buildings on either side, resembled the sloping valleys of a peaceful woodland. The sounds of the city just feet away, receded into the background replaced by the hypnotic rustle of the swaying trees, the chirping of birds, and the skittering of friendly squirrels.

The only guests were the rare office workers enjoying a cup of coffee, or the harmless neighbor in need, supine with eyes closed, getting some restful sleep. The tree canopy provided a protective covering during the heat of summer, and nothing could beat the sound of soft rain dripping from leaf to leaf. This was a perfect spot for me to just reflect, and many times come up with interesting post ideas to be used on Hive. In short, I loved the place, and wrote some of my most moving posts here, but as George Harrison one said" "All Things Must Pass."

Of course, security was used as the pretext, as the majestic shade-giving trees and bushes made some of the office workers feel unsafe, and the police couldn't easily see in. In all the years this quiet place existed, there had never been even ONE instance of trouble. I think all of us knew what a little gift this spot was, and did nothing to disturb the solace we all enjoyed.

They tell me that it took the complaint of just one suburban female office worker who felt "uncomfortable" when an unhoused man lay down his head and curled up on a bench under a shady tree. He was almost 50 feet away from her, but that was too close to her for comfort.

So now that its gone, my search begins for another place of reflection. Hopefully it won't be near an office building peopled by paranoid suburbanites compelled to transform every peaceful. green place into the likes of a strip mall. An old cow path, turns into a woodland trail, and that is "upgraded" with gravel, before becoming a paved sidewalk ("footpath" to you Europeans), before becoming a street in a bustling city. This is what happens when fear erases our green spaces, and the beauty of the wild is paved over in the name of progress.