How Safe Is Your Child?

Mums and dads have been demonstrating
outside the city’s park, they want the lake
filled in and trees chopped down since
a boy fell from a tree into the lake, broke
a leg and nearly drowned.

There is a chopper overhead taking picture
of the lake, dangerous trees, boulders and
bushes along a tall wall where pedophiles
can lurk, see the evening news; later talks
by experts: “How safe is your child?”

It has now been decided that the lake can
be walled in, branches of tree cut so no
child can reach them, the bushes chopped
down and light installed, no hiding place,
and yes, the boulders rolled into the lake.

Still the mums and dads are not happy,
it’s ok for the kids to climb trees as long as
they are made of rubber and there is foam
carpet under each one, the lake draws ducks,
that draws rats, breadcrumbs and pestilence.

The park was fenced in, off limit to anyone
under twenty one, then it was privatized
restaurants, tennis courts, dance, furtive sex
in the bushes, and wet T. shirt contests, while
children are safely at home watching TV.