There are creatures in my garden
that have next-to-no appeal
like the red-back spider couple –
how the male becomes her meal.
Snails that paint my pristine paths
tend to mix up art and crime
so I follow all their trails
and catch them, one rogue at a time.
Something’s biting off my beans
and stripping leaflets from new stalks.
Where’s the culprit lurking now?
I wear thick gloves on all my walks.
If bugs and grubs digest my crop
My self-esteem soon takes a dive.
A garden is no happy place
If pests there multiply and thrive.
Then, yesterday, in my backyard,
a pair flew in; it’s really rare
to see a butcher bird and babe.
I stopped my chores to sit and stare.
The young one‘s ever-gaping beak
the parent just could not refuse.
They’ve taught a greenie’s lesson to me.
Nature makes such feel-good news.
