Backyard

Insect swarm of intellect/ pour on boiling water/ let the soil soak with cruel reflex and shock and phobia

protect your fresh mess/ all your tangled limbs and brittle skin/ paperthin

drive away bad dreams in afternoon slumber/ sundried eyelids and bleached soul/ so parched/ so unfeeling

savour your fragrant herbs/ eat from your pregnant senseless soil/ embrace the earth's hum but

obliterate these creatures/ please, something/ someone do!

unfasten their naive limbs./ crush plunderous/ tiny heads with their teasing jaws

crush and crush/

wipe your boot-heel

refill the kettle