The HOA received a mysterious letter:
in the envelope, fire ants,
a missive saying you will pay for this.
John, the president, said
I don’t understand, everyone wants to
live in this neighbourhood
(he didn’t talk to everyone).
The sea is two minutes away,
we are all nice, kind people.
Bernice, the treasurer, said
we’re all getting new driveways
because I’m good with money.
Steven, the minister of information, said
the landscaping in our community
is without compare.
They all missed that the letter was
signed with a dandelion.
They forgot John had told numerous
new residents that their lawns
were too rowdy, and that because
opium lettuce is an invasive species
Sally couldn’t tend it to treat
her fibromyalgia pain.
They forgot that Bernice
had collected the last money Flores
had for the HOA fees,
despite her pleas that she
was doing her best looking for a job,
that she only ate once a day.
They forgot that Steven
had driven Carlos out
with a lawsuit over a property
line infracted by only inches.
They forgot that Mary,
keeper of the fire
and on the welcoming committee
told Olamufe that “her kind”
were not welcome in the neighbourhood.
