In the Red-Dyed Greenery

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photocollageGreen Thumb Caught Red-Handed

In the great garden of Madame Roussel

There grew, to her horror, a lingering smell

Somewhat out of keeping with feelings genteel,

Good graces and manners, and painfully real;

There came to her notice the knowledge that she

Was the harborer of a bold monstrosity

Fertilizing her flowers by means quite disgusting,

A potent decoction so grossly encrusting

Her sweet Potentilla and Rosa rugosa,

So gamey its stench went from here to Formosa;

Such a shame that the corpses kept coming unburied,

But this was the farthest that they could be carried;

Madame’s predilection for lilies and roses

Was matched by the murders done under the noses

Of neighbors and garden-fanatics and friends,

Some of whom, by the way, met their untimely ends;

In short, the career, the vocation, the loves

Of the dame with the blood-engorged gardening gloves

Could have gone on forever, and borne her much fruit,

Were it not that weight-lifting was not her long suit,

Nor was thorough disposal or digging deep ditches;

Who knew that her roses held such fertile riches?

Exposure, at last, was inevitable

When the soil in the garden grew just over-full;

Then “pushing up daisies” took on a new meaning

And oxidized bodies with fumes overweening

Began their announcements of odorous presence

In a way that Madame found to be an unpleasance;

It was nice while it lasted, a gardener’s thrill;

But for cheap fertilizer, it was overkill.mixed media drawing

20 thoughts on “In the Red-Dyed Greenery”

  2. A wonderful poem; so many excellent lines! Occasionally, I share a poem with my Facebook friends (unfortunately not many of them like poetry). But a few do. And I shared this one with them.

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  4. What a coincidence, we both decided to do humourous posts on the same day Kathryn, the art is wonderful, I hope you’re selling these? 🙂

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    • I did sell the originals of the pair of drawings at the bottom of the post (some years ago now), but haven’t been selling anything in several years. Am hoping to re-start that part of my life sooner rather than later . . . I’ll keep you posted (no pun intended!). 🙂

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  5. You are a fine writer of poetry. Amusing, comedic and it even rhymes, thus adding a well deserved eye gouge to the legions of scorned free-versers out there.

    More please.

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    • Oh, I’ve got *oodles* of poems yet with which to inundate y’all. Be very afraid! For free; the eye gouging is just a bonus.

      I can see from your verse that we are often on the same, erm, warped wavelength, after all. 😀

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  8. kiwsparks, this is absolutely brilliant. “Overkill” ? poetic genius. This is more than worthy of the “Like” button. Your clever use of rhyme & rhythm is impressive beyond words!

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    • It *is* a distortion, all right–two photos (of two very distinct places on two different occasions), digitally composited in the middle. You’re the first person who’s noticed it. 🙂

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