Peacekeeping

An army of stench,
the marigold stands
planted at attention.
Half camouflaged
in green fatigues,
they salute each other
from end to end.
Always an edgy
operation, they’re
the garden’s best
defense— soldiers
and leaves as artillery.
Marigolds hold
front lines, borders,
and beds, fight
for petaline rights
in mud trenches.
They wear their
orange permed dos
in undone helmets,
alert folks at the back
with surveillance,
watch for the multi-legged
drone of the enemy,
fast conduct of bees
active air conflict,
or a probing cat
who squats, dropping
his dirty bomb
one foot away.