Who was it first determined what’s a weed and what’s a flower-
whoever it was could they just maybe have been in error?
Have you noticed when late summer turns hot and dry,
the weeds grow like crazy and the flowers and lawn
wither and die?

Now when I mow the only things green, are crab grass and weeds,
and the only flowers still blooming are healthy dandelions-
that just won’t go away.

By definition weeds are plants that are troublesome
and worthless in the places they grow-
yet the difference between weeds and useful plants
are not in themselves but in the way they are used.
Corn in a bean field is considered a weed-
yet a useful plant, when growing in its proper place.

Perhaps we could all use an attitude adjustment-
and learn to enjoy the weeds growing around us.
If you stop to think about it, a dandelion is just as pretty
as a pansy or petunia- and their leaves make a healthy salad
and the bloom a tasty wine.
Has anything useful ever been made from an orchid or rose?

If we weren’t so worried about controlling our weeds,
there would be less need for herbicides and the toxins
that threaten the environment.

If we simply changed our minds about what a weed is
we could save a lot of time and gasoline as well.
We could explain to the neighbors that we’re not being lazy,
we’re simply preserving the prairie environment.

The fact of the matter is I don’t think I’ll mow
and I’ll let the dandelions and the weeds next summer grow-
and put up a big sign that reads:

Curt’s prairie preserve- beware of the buffalo.