matthew harris

I (a youthful sexagenarian)

can no longer quip being

a country boy at heart,

but me as urban cowboy,

I declare would never

so fuhgeddaboudit dear reader

nothing 'cept bucolic existence
laboring organic garden
harvesting fruits and vegetables
by the bushel and quart
constitute an appropriate start.

Don't get me wrong;

Every cell comprising

body electric of mine,

would yearn to prolong

and relish those bygone salad days,
whereat (R)oute (D)elivery #2 Level Road

also known as "Glen Elm"

or hundred acre wood,
when Mister Leiper and family
originally owned vast estate
(turn of twentieth century)

once awash, flush, and plush

with webbed wide world

analogous to miniature Hindu Kush;

one of the great watersheds of Central Asia

forming part of vast Alpine zone

that stretches across Eurasia east to west;

and runs northeast to southwest;

and divides valley of the Amu Darya

(the ancient Oxus River)

to the north from

Indus River valley to the south.

Rather than complain about mein kampf

and hard times,

which ain't no Christmas Carol,

fraught with the battle of life

amidst great expectations,

yours truly much prefers

crafting poetic verses

precariously perched on edge of chair

clicking Macbook Pro keyboard;

Every now and again taking stretch

to access excellent outlook

from powerfully pointed bedroom window.

Thus yours truly doth

poetically lightly kvetch

or tease out commonplace natural phenomena
nevertheless unremarkable flora and fauna,

or maybe even a dog

and her/his owner playing fetch.

His immediate observation when peering out

rectangular pane (more long than wide) of glass

constitutes plethora of dandelions

populates the greensward;

said wildflower proliferated nearly overnight,

cuz smattering yesterdays ago

Taraxacum officinale, the German "lowenzahn"

(which means "lion's tooth"),

and French "pissenlit"

Ligules the yellow “petals” of dandelion flower

carpeted the lawn, and quickly regenerated

soon after landscaping crew cut the grass.

A dandelion seed is the plant's mature fruit,

known as a cypsela to botanists,

and its parachute-like structure

known as a pappus.

The pappus develops

as calyx of each floret dries and matures.

There are usually 150-200 seeds per flower

and up to 10 flowers per plant.

Seeds can be dispersed long distances

by wind because they move in updrafts,

yet upon making landfall

scant number squarely take root.