The eye of the hare,
what jaundice hue,
therein hinted
a whole world view,
carrot-tinted,
gluttonous gleam,
taking measure
in pound and ream,
spying greens
and petals fair —
what was planted
no longer there.
A lesson life
has clearly taught:
know when your efforts
come to naught;
to try again is
laudable habit,
but not when competing
with the rabbit.
Let it go,
it wasn’t to be;
the garden this year
is plant cemetery.
Alas, dear reader, it seems not to be a year for a garden. Moss roses, daisies, marigolds, gauras, zinnias, lantana, even spiny rudbeckia — chomped. Dill? Parsley? In my dreams! What with the rabbits devouring my flowers and the cicadas dive-bombing me, I think this might be the summer I stay inside and clean my house. OK, you’re right: that’s not likely. But still I’m steamed.
More thanks to photographer S.W. Berg and to sculptor Jürgen Goetz, and to the rabbit that posed for Dürer’s drawing, thereby giving Goetz inspiration for his sculpture, glowering near Dürer’s house in Nürnberg. The gnarled hand under the hare is obviously the defeated gardener.
Oddments 
June 15, 2021 at 11:10 am
I’m sorry your garden efforts have been defeated. Our bunnies are picking on the bean plants, but not bothering other things.
June 15, 2021 at 11:12 am
Your bunnies are far kinder and better-mannered than mine!
June 15, 2021 at 11:53 am
Timely post. So…in the next town over they thought it would be wise to reinstate a particular rabbit species that use to be here. For several years, they sought volunteers to clear the area, plant certain shrubs, and then bring that rabbit back. Now, the adjoining homes are being inundated with rabbits eating everything AND mountain lions are seen in backyards looking for their smorgasbord lunch. We never learn. Leave Mother Nature alone. 🙂 I’m thinking you need some house plants this gardening season.
June 15, 2021 at 12:44 pm
Oh, heavens! I can only guess that the Bring-The-Rabbits-Back Committee had no gardeners on it! What a blunder! And a bonus of mountain lions, no less! As dismal as the truth is, I couldn’t help laughing at your conclusion: “we never learn.” We’re a dopey species, I fear. Except for a few of us, yes?
Houseplants? I chuckled. I am a gardener who does not do houseplants. They run when they see me coming.
June 16, 2021 at 10:58 am
Another thing we have in common – I don’t do houseplants either. I have basically two plants inside. One is 43 years old and given by friends, and the other one of which I have three pots was a gift from a friend and it probably 15 years old.
June 16, 2021 at 11:48 am
43 years old??? Are you serious? I am in awe! I do have a shamrock that is elderly, but I doubt it’s 15 yet. “Given by friends” is much like the garden outside, where so many memories grow.
June 16, 2021 at 5:39 pm
Yep, 43 years old. Is that a hoot or what. 🙂
June 15, 2021 at 12:34 pm
Not sure if my original comment went through, so I’m trying again.
I’m so sorry to hear about your garden. Rabbits are just little executioners.
I can sort of resonate as my cats try (and seem to be succeeding) to kill my succulents. They don’t touch the cacti, though. I wonder why. 😂
June 15, 2021 at 12:50 pm
This was the only comment I got, so thanks for trying again. Thanks also for sympathy! As for your cats, they sound more discriminating than my rabbits!
June 16, 2021 at 10:41 pm
You made me laugh with the interpretation of the sculpture which would have seemed rather a strange one, had you not explained it so well. Carrot eyes and gluttonous gleam – that’s exactly it! I had to look up ‘I’m steamed’ to find our equivalent, but the internet was not helpful. It might mean ‘steaming mad’ or ‘I’m out of steam.’ I think what you need for your garden is a wildlife habitat sign.