The Revolt of the Dandelions

The Revolt of the Dandelions

Spring began on time this year

the winds of April

the rains of May

not too much of either

Deep in the soil

a root begin its wake

a little parachute broke open

to send the shoot aloft

Soon jagged green leaves

with a stem like a small pipe

floating high above the ground

the popcorn of flowers

opens boldly 

buttered by the sun 

A bee who acts

in the movie of new life

sits atop the waves of yellow

to enjoy its early flavor

as the script unfolds

and evil dares this thriller

saturate the observer's fear 

Then from beneath the porch

in his gray uniform

sporting the slicing teeth

of floral doom

a munching tank called rabbit

rolls across the verdant carpet

to rip at this undulation

this wave of solar freedom

Down its maw the victim

descends in rended beauty

Oh this first of spring

screams its final message

REVOLT! REVOLT!

Just as this moment proceeds

while teeth finish a first meal

from every hole in the ground

from every seed and stem

an explosion so violent

is seen and felt by this vicious

this steel-eyed Lagomorpha 

Oh yes this awful Leporidae

as every dandelion surrounds it

in sudden opposition

to protest this herbivore

that upsets the order

of this green universe

One sign

then the next

a protest of thousands

marching from the earth

to the warmth above

surrounds this viciousness

that now runs back to its hole

having taken their message to heart:

Eat Grass not Flowers

Leave this lawn

you you

Oryctolagus cuniculus

Frightened by their language

and apparent intelligence

it changes its mind in sleep

dreaming of my garden

as a shudder fills my body

only fences and foxes can allay

Barry G. Wick