Note to the King of Green Lawn Service by Janice Townley Moore

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Note to the King of Green Lawn Service
by
Janice Townley Moore

Your grass fails to intrigue,

programmed as cloned blades--

bermuda or centipede.

No pleasant wild onion reek,

luck of the four-leafed clover.

Where lies the allure of strawberries,

the first tiny hearts we ate

on a dare for their poison?

No ripe boys roll cigars from weeds

No queens of the May

sit splay-legged, threading clover

stem upon stem for the longest chain.

In your sad sod dandelions remain extinct,

their little parachutes never blown

by children with grass prints on their knees

into the wild green yonder

till our mothers’ voices call us in

across the patchwork giving up its light.

First published in The Appalachian Journal.
Used here with the author's permission.

Janice Townley Moore straddles the Georgia and North Carolina border, teaching English classes at Young Harris College in Georgia and living in North Carolina. One good reason not to retire is the gorgeous mountain scenery that she passes each day to and from work. She is teaching a creative writing class in poetry this semester at the college and for many years she has been the facilitator of a monthly poetry critique group for the North Carolina Writers Network.

nancilee:
Great poem. Many people in CA will love it, too, besides me, when they get their drought-influenced water bills. Maybe they'll learn about the beauty in a dandelion.
Posted 04/29/2015 06:37 PM

fer:
Yes, yes, YES!
Posted 04/27/2015 08:00 PM

karenpaulholmes:
Loved this poem when I first heard Janice read it. She's a brilliant poet.
Posted 04/27/2015 03:35 PM

transitions:
True, so undeniably true, beautifully written ~
Posted 04/27/2015 12:17 PM

Gilbert Allen:
Although I'm irrationally fond of horizontal monocultures, I enjoyed this poem.
Posted 04/27/2015 09:21 AM

Cindy:
sweet and I so agree
Posted 04/27/2015 08:43 AM

Barry:
Nicely done!!!
Posted 04/27/2015 07:47 AM

Jules4Nicky:
I hate it whenever I cut the grass and have to cut down those orange wildflowers that look a little bit like daisies. They are so unique. And the wood violets.
Posted 04/27/2015 06:29 AM

TheSilverOne:
Brought back memories of a childhood before manicured lawns where we did blow those little dandelion parachutes. Loved this.
Posted 04/26/2015 11:06 PM

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