Gladiola’s Garden
From the book My Hippo Has the Hiccups
Gladiola’s garden grows
not a radish nor a rose.
Not a pansy, peach or pear.
No azaleas anywhere.
Not a pumpkin, parsnip, plum,
carrot or chrysanthemum.
No forget-me-not or fig.
Not a single sprout or twig.
No carnations, cabbage, corn.
Not a thistle, thatch or thorn.
Not a berry. Not a bean.
Nothing yet remotely green.
Watering and sprinkling seeds,
watching warily for weeds,
Gladiola rakes and hoes.
Still her garden never grows.
But she doesn’t seem to mind.
That’s the way it was designed.
Gladiola’s quite content
gardening upon cement.
— Kenn Nesbitt
Copyright © 2009. All Rights Reserved.
Reading Level: Grade 2
Topics: Food Poems, Poems about Kooky Characters
Poetic Techniques: Alliteration, Descriptive Poems, Irony, List Poems
Word Count: 94
From the book My Hippo Has the Hiccups
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