Pluses and Minuses

We planted our vegetable garden early this year,
hoping for a warm march and a slightly warmer April,
not like in the deserts of Palm Springs and Las Vegas,
where a warm April is welcomed and feared at once,
with the knowledge of the price paid for a beautiful spring,
being a little something called summer.
We tore out the grapes, not because we didn’t have faith in them,
but because we knew the raccoons would eat them before we did,
and they’d wake the cats in the middle of the night,
and the cats would wake us,
and then nobody would get back to sleep.
We tore out the roses since they only bloom a little
And they make me bleed,
and require expensive feed.
We tore out the big greenery since the drought is likely to continue,
and we’d be faced with a hurtful water bill,
and everything would die because we don’t want to be hurt.
We planted cacti and succulents,
and we like them a lot, because they’ll live forever,
and yet they cost so much, the nicer ones, oh dear.
We planted stones and granite.
We have no hopes and dreams for them.
We just hope a big wind doesn’t come through
and throw sand at our new windows,
did I mention how much THOSE cost?