CLASH

In the garden

orange nasturtiums arrived

and went wild

taking on the whole bed

of Flanders poppies.

They clashed terribly.

The nasturtiums

made swift advances

crawling stealthily

through the proud

rows of nodding red

blooms heavy with

memories of far fields

and so many dead.

The poppies knew

what was coming.

All’s fair in love and war,

shouted the nasturtiums,

tumbling them

into disarray before

trampling them

into the bed

in bloody conquest.

© Kate O’Neil

Nasturtium  – a symbol of power and of conquest and victory in battle