Reciprocity
Pollen is dripping steadily like rain
under the white crepe myrtle –
sweetness falling off bees
that swarm the blossoms: bundles of lace
forming at the end of branches.
Opening its veins, the tree is offering
a feast. Tipsy on pollen, bees are spreading
their wealth among the flowers.
Arbutus, green guardians,
forming a wall along the garden’s edge:
privacy for the spider’s web
between two branches
growing to the sky.
Fragrances spinning through the air,
seduce the hummingbird,
cause mockingbirds to sing with gusto
from atop cypress trees
while sparrows are building a nest
next to the downspout that feeds olive shrubs.
Along the walkway, paddle plants are blushing
under the sun’s attention, while
manzanita stretches over the ground:
a covering for the neighbor’s cat to tread
when night falls. A low hum is settling
over the garden as sap moves
through branches and leaves,
as blood courses through veins –
bringing life to cells that allow
eyes to see leaves forming on the azalea,
feed lungs inhaling the sweetness of pollen
before it becomes honey on my tongue.
Margaret Anne Kean received her BA in British/American Literature from Scripps College and her MFA from Antioch University/Los Angeles. Her chapbook collection, Cleaving the Clouds, was published by Kelsay Books in 2023. She is a Pushcart Prize nominee and her work has appeared in various journals including Eunoia Review, San Antonio Review, EcoTheoReview, and Tupelo Quarterly.
Amethyst Review 