Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Gold to Gold

Honeybees are harvesting pollen
from dandelions: gold to gold.

They fly heavily in bulging orange pantaloons,
stumble onto flat-topped Queen Anne’s lace,

fall to the ground and crawl in clover.
Mint offers nothing from tiny blue flower spikes.

Years ago before colony collapse disorder
made the news, we found a swarming hive

in a box of building supplies
on our front porch.

I’m ashamed to admit, we used insecticide—
we had a friend who was allergic—

didn’t feel we could take a chance. We didn’t know
beekeepers would come take them away for free.

This fall, I’ll plant lavender and sage
against the back wall where it’s sunny.

Next summer when they bloom
more bees will come.

Books Available
Country Well-Known as an Old Nightmare's Stable
High-Voltage Lines
Knocking from Inside

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