I saw a solitary leaf
Blown across the lawn,
I gazed in disbelief,
Just one! Its fellow leaves forlorn
A mottled heap across the way,
A mouldering mass, already in decay.
Back and forth it flew, in vain.
The victim of an owner’s scorn.
There was no way it could remain
A blemish on a pristine lawn.
Up and down in hot pursuit came Stihl,
A blast from hell, snarling, roaring like Smaug,
Farting foul fumes, pollutants worse by far,
Three-hundred-fold, than a gas-guzzling car.
And in a humbler part of town,
Across the street from me, an old man stoops,
Battling the leaves as well, employing not
The devil’s tool, but from another age
An implement almost as old as time
Itself, that serves its master well — a rake.
The one, a sad reminder of our former state,
The other, foul and potent symbol of our fate.
(These Satanic machines are permitted to operate in a city which several years ago considered suing Alberta oil and gas companies for their contribution to climate change. For other topics, see Table of Contents.)
Excellent, Chas. I too detest these abominations. A few years ago I wrote to city council suggesting that it was time to at least require citizens or the landscape companies they hire to use battery powered leaf blowers. Ben Isitt replied that he agreed completely.
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