St Patrick’s Day Gumboot War

I am not in the habit
Of using words I don’t know
This list includes single syllable
And multi syllabic words
I have a decent vocabulary
And understand words in context
Passive knowledge
I do my best with metaphors
And similes
And meanings that twist away
Verbal optical illusions

The skyscraper cakes into a periwinkle
Sourdough magenta St Patrick’s day gift.
As the cloud drops into a fog and spreads along the storefront.
As the cloud drops from the sky into a fog along the storefront.
As clouds, fog, periwinkle, magenta mix in a confusion of camouflage
And lemon or lime meringue.
The gumboot chitons sensing diversion, rise from the sea
Crawling along the streets until
They meet up on the hill above the storefront.
We call out the national guard
And they in turn misunderstand what the gumboot chitons are
And call upon the forest rangers
Who also have no clue what they are dealing with.

The owner of the skyscraper
Along with the storefront tenant
Came with their shotguns
And along with the national guard
And forest rangers declared war
On the molluscs
Who fight back with needle precision.
Neither side could beat back the other.
A national emergency was called
Until chefs from the Caribbean contained them
In boiling pots though some were fried.
The war ended with a feast
Of gumboots, wine or beer.