John Kaprielian

Suburban gardeners ruthlessly whack
weeds noisily blow debris spray
chemicals to ward off intruding
undesireables that creep into their
orderly beds and luxurious lawns
sowing chaos disease and disorder

but weeds can be beautiful and
some insects are beneficial yet the
pesticides and herbicides are
indiscriminate and eliminate all
trespassers that disturb their view
of what they think nature looks like

uniform colors and heights plants must
keep to their places or get cut down
if they try to escape their rows or
sections walled off with rigid edging 
and piles of colorful mulch over plastic
that blocks and slowly suffocates them 

Perhaps their gardens reflect more truth
than their owners would care to admit

 

John Kaprielian has been writing poetry for over 30 years. A nature photographer and photo editor by occupation, he brings his keen eye for natural history to many of his poems, which often inspired by his observations. He studied creative writing at Cornell with the poet A.R. Ammons while getting his degree in Russian Linguistics. He has been published in Minute Magazine, The Blue Nib, The Five-Two, Blue Mountain Review, What Rough Beast, and the New Verse News. He lives in Putnam County, NY, with his wife, teen son, and assorted pets.