The Basswoods

Five stout basswoods, symbol of our neighborhood,
Sawn to stumps in one cruel morning.
Why o why this perfidy?
I can accept that one was dead,
And a second was well on its way to dying,
But that leaves three. What will happen next?
A replanting? I doubt that the parks department
Will invest in five more specialty trees;
Their species of choice for the last few years
Has been hardy sycamore. Having had less success
With the likes of Bradford pear and locust,
They rarely vary in their selection;
But in terms of shade and shape and gentility,
Nothing beats a linden fully grown.
I miss ours already--there can be no replacement.