East of Eden
by Don Becker

The garden is screaming.
No innocent seedling thrives
upon the fallen world.
The new vegetables
Will have razor teeth.

Bitter sprouts betray
the soil. Petals become fingers,
nectar a river of thought.
The new kingdom grows
conscious, green and angry.

This is springtime
with a vengeance.
The outcast vine
evolves up the trellis
and strangles the gardener.

[from Three Sheriffs In Bethlehem, (Hang Fire Press). Send correspondence to: The Dromedary Syndicate, 1714 E. 22nd Pl. #A, Tulsa, OK 74114.]