It once contained some yoghurt,
That up-turned, man-made thing
Now hid amongst the lilies;
Enthroned there, like some king.
The lilies in my garden
Did stand there tall and straight,
And grew in great profusion
From the shed unto the gate.
The man-made, plastic, sun-bleached thing,
Incongruous it lay.
The lilies, all with flower did spring,
And brighten up the day.
So I bent down, and with firm grip
Removed the plastic litter.
And what I saw contained beneath
Did make me almost bitter.
The pale, mis-shapen, twisted plant
Did seem more dead than living.
And with the plastic, man-made thing
I felt quite unforgiving.
I stood there many moments,
And watched the plant unwind...
But stunted, light-starved, pale and weak;
To kill it would be kind.
A still, small voice behind me
Gave one word of information.
I held the plastic in my hand;
He said, "DENOMINATIONS!"
H.K.Pywell
19.5.1992