Poem of the Day: “Crabgrass in Suburbia” by Shawn Aveningo

Songs of Eretz Poetry Review is pleased to present “Crabgrass in Suburbia” by Shawn Aveningo.  Aveningo is an award-winning, globally published poet, whose work has appeared in over eighty literary journals and anthologies, including LA’s poeticdiversity, which recently nominated her poetry for a Pushcart Prize. She is co-founder of The Poetry Box^® www.thepoetrybox.com, managing editor of The Poeming Pigeon, and journal designer for VoiceCatcher. Aveningo lives in Beaverton, Oregon.

Crabgrass in Suburbia

Shawn Aveningo

The sheer horror of the thought.

Crabgrass!  In my neighbor’s lawn.

Quick.

Somebody

            call Chem-Lawn,

            call Monsanto,

            notify the Neighborhood Association.

We must

            alert the authorities,

            start a protest,

            propose new legislation.

Across the street they’re painting

            their house BLUE,

and did you hear?

There’s a house down the road

            that’s painted every color

            of the rainbow.

What will we do?

Don’t they know

            the surest cure is prevention.

            A religious intervention

            is what they need.

We must take matters

            into our own hands.

            Pour me some tea.

Fetch my gardening gloves

            and my rubbers.

            (Don’t ask ….I’ll never tell)

We must build a wall

            to protect ourselves from these evil weeds.

Crabgrass, y-know, is the work

            of the Devil.

Dear God, fear not.

            We will avenge thy name

            or else.

Or Else

            we might

            have to actually

            change—and

Love Thy Neighbor.

Poet’s Notes:  I wrote “Crabgrass in Suburbia” several years ago while living in the suburbs surrounding Sacramento.  There was a lot of talk around the water-cooler about an article in the paper—a lawsuit regarding a house being painted yellow without the prerequisite approval of the Homeowner’s Association.  Meanwhile, signs were sprouting up in lawns supporting Proposition 8 (a ballot measure to deny gay marriage).  These simultaneous events provided kindling for writing a piece about our ever-growing culture of judgment. 

Editor’s Note:  This one strikes a chord with me, as I absolutely LOATHE home owners' associations.  Aveningo poetically captures the evil, busybody HOA personalities with her short, imperative lines and clipped line breaks.  Her moral lesson is nicely stated--not over the top, but just right. "Crabgrass in Suburbia" was originally published in Mountain Tales Press' Whisperings Vol 3, Issue 1, 2014.