Garden Splendour

Overwhelmed by things that ring a ding a ling,
The garden next door is not a many splendoured thing,
For lurking there are creatures, large and small,
That, stunned by chimes fixed upon the garden wall
Gaze at spinning toys on which birds innocently ride,
While below, bold floral groups form fours with military pride.
In shaded corners stony elves stand still, and stare
With eyes dead that do not see the nightlight’s baleful glare.
Do not despair, for beyond the great divide
Lies a land where elements of good taste reside,
There, nature’s fuse desperate to stay alive,
Destroys the weak and encourages the strong to survive,
It is there that rampant rabbits dismantle seedbeds and lawn,
And where nettles, and ants upon the wing
Are acidly charged, and readily poised to sting.

It is all there in my garden,
That is a many splendoured thing.