next door
run a wrecking yard.
Aesthetic beauty
has received
its calling card.
On the other side
of this oasis
and to the right
is an urban induced nightmare
offering
a dreadful sight.
A parking lot, a strip mall
and the exhaust
of cars
have left
this great painter
with emotional scars.
The birds are choking
and the fish
are near dead.
Beer cans
now litter
the flower bed.
There was a time when the sun
danced
with delight
leaving impressions
of sheer beauty
and artistic insight.
The canvas came alive
with the flourish
of a brush
and life,
as we once knew it,
wasn't in a rush.
The old man sits dejected
as tears mix
with the paint.
The perception of nature
is lost
on those who taint
the fragility
of God's ever delicate
master plan
with the overflowing
of the neighbor's
garbage can.
Too close
for comfort
is their property line.
'Beware of dog'
is the obvious
warning sign.
So please remember
the famous painter
in which we praise
as Monet's precious garden
has seen
better days!
****************************************************