The Secret Garden

Up the hill from Bromley Rd

Past the seedy-looking Homebase pond

A house with a whole garden of sunflowers

Taller than a person

The sunflowers as high as an elephant’s eye...

Thick green stems and bright yellow faces

Further up the hill

The park

The largest green space in all of Lewisham

Complete with

A mansion

Ancient woodland

And well-kept grass for playing golf

Around the corner

Tucked away

A secret garden

With raised beds

Filled to the brim and bursting

Enough to make Sondheim’s witch in the woods

Cackle with delight

Parsley, peppers, cabbages and celery

Pumpkin and pansies and artichokes and chives

Thistles and tomatoes and cauliflower and mint

A sensory delight

The traffic builds on Bromley Rd.