When Your Lawnmower Quotes Stalin
you know there’s a problem.
The easiest way to gain control of the population
is to carry out acts of terror
as you push
your rotary blade Qualcast
across an unruly lawn
full of the spirit of Spring,
this uprising
challenging the old order,
the military-might
needed to unify the horticulture
& its rival factions.
Absolute power
comes from secret bonfires
in the dead of night
& upgrades to twin-stroke,
to electric strimmer,
the shock & awe of hardware
from a local garden-centre.
& it doesn’t stop with grass.
How tempting to make an example
of the brightest blooms. Hang them
in plain sight
to swing in wicker baskets.
Each flower, bush, tree knows
it could be next.
When the wind blows
you can see leaves tremble.
Simon French has had two poetry collections published, Joyriding Down Utopia Avenue (Coverstory Books) and The Deadwing Generation (Coverstory Books). He is currently working on his third collection and seeking inspiration from ghosts, musical interludes, abandoned vehicles and stout.