Rose tips

It was not so many moons ago
that a gardener said to me
"If you really want your roses to grow
just give them a shot of cow-manure tea."
Since I had heard this advice before
and my poor roses did need care
I supposed I could buy some in a store
but I was darned if I knew where.
Now in my grandmother's day, of course,
her problems were of a simpler kind;
she would have gone right to the source
and that thought did cross my mind.
The handy Yellow Pages provided the key
and sooner than I realized
I had the makings of cow-manure tea
prepackaged and sterilized!
I'm happy to say my roses did grow
more abundant than any year
and just when the blossoms began to show
they were all eaten by the deer.