The Greening of Japan

"The Greening of Japan"
subtitled "Goodbye trees"

i hear robert zimmerman
on the harmonica
singing "goodbye trees",
and then death comes along
and mows them down
and cuts them down at their knees
and their mothers come
to the site every now,and again to place a bouquet
of flowers in remembrance
in front of the "jolly PA-STA"restaurant, and if only trees
were kids, about so high
instead of these green and brown
things that take up space
and not so far away up goes
a block of family "mansions"with the name of "famille garden"
and i hear robert zimmerman
on the harmonica
singing it used to be green and clean
and now its Green and obscene
and all those leafy things have gone
what were they? children?
and up the road there is a garage
with the sign "CLEAN"and 4wds sit there in a monty
pythonesque skit, ready to
pounce upon something green
whether it be a tree, shrub, or
insect, and maybe something brown
like the lizard sunning itself on
the sidewalk, and, and, sounds
like kids talk, but it is the impatience
of watching them grow up tall
and seeing the birds collect in the foliage
and thinking this is GREEN,and then the council
must balance
its books but not its conscience,
so its cut down those things, those trees,
and up it goes the "jolly PA-STA"
a kitsch flagship of convenience
foodstuff, and there should be a jolly
roger flying, with boughs and leaves,
for it is goodbye trees , goodbye trees
and hello Spaghetti Bolognese.