The Oak Park Outlaw
… she gardens her front yard
… city sends citation
… war ensues
The scofflaw, Julie Bass,
Rejected trees and grass,
And took to life of crime
With parsley, sage and thyme.
Her crime is avant garde:
The beds in her front yard
Contain illegal greens,
Like peppers, peas and beans.
Thank God the planner saw
Within the public law,
A means to prosecute
Before she planted fruit.
The plaintiff, Kevin R.,
The Oak Park planning czar,
Will see the line is toed
By pointing to the code.
But folks can misconstrue
What’s ‘suitable’ to do,
So Kevin has deferred
To ‘common’ as his word.
And what is more unique
Than cucumber or leek,
When planted in a bed
Where grass should grow instead.
Uncommon as they are
Outside a mason jar,
She’ll need to clear her yard
Of broccoli and chard.
Then justice will prevail,
And Oak Park can exhale,
Devoid of squash and kale,
With Julie safe in jail.