with neighbours and Gaia my only witness
I stepped outside the house meaning business
gardening gloves, peaked cap, steely nerves
hoe, rake, secateurs
ready to wrestle the weedy earth

but only out front
the front is just a front
the garden out back is the garden I want

the garden out back is a nature reserve
apples trees, cornflowers, poppies, herbs
in this laissez-faire heaven there aren’t any weeds
just life growing freely each to its need
no borders, planters, arbitrary distinctions
a humming commune without restriction
a bath for the birds, a pond for the newts
everything seeding and bearing fruit
man, birds, insects, plants
THAT’S where I’d rather be, given the chance