We’re all familiar with the classic passive-aggressive note written when someone has been wronged, but one elderly gardener has come up with a unique way to try and charm a plant thief into leaving their flowers alone – by penning a poem.
A picture of the printed out poem was shared on Reddit last week, which showed it tied to the metal railings of the fence around the garden.
Uploaded on the r/CasualUK forum by a passerby who spotted it, they captioned the post writing: "When pensioners get mad, they get poetic. Wishing them luck!"
The poem read: "Oh neighbours will you share our grief,
"Our plants have been stolen by a thief,
"Oleanders taken - newly planted,
"And so we cannot be enchanted
"By an ever-improving view
"Which we like to share with you
"So thief, if you have any feeling
"For those from which you are stealing
"It isn't from our management
"(Always supposing that was your intent)
"But from us pensioners – OAP’s
"For plants, we pay, so do replace them, please."
Commenters on the post were outraged at the thought of someone stealing flowers from the elderly, with many confused as to why anyone would want to pinch plants in the first place.
One wrote: "Stealing plants from a retirement home, how trashy can someone get."
And another said: “And who is wandering around stealing plants out of the ground? Didn’t realise this was an issue.”
While a third wrote: “People who steal from porches are the worst. I can understand why you might stealing a parcel that might have financial gain, but stealing plants is just... Why, more than anything else.”
Others suggested the poster reach out to the retirement home to help them get back the plants they lost.
One person said: “Any contact details for the residents/property? Could put together a care package for them!”
And a second wrote: “I'd chuck them a bag of bulbs over the fence for that effort though.”
Sign up to get the Mirror's biggest and best stories delivered straight to your inbox at www.mirror.co.uk/email
