A beekeeper from halfway
around the world asked
what is blooming here
right now. So I take a walk
and let pandemic and protest
recede for a moment.

Sweetbay magnolia bathes
the front porch in fragrance.
Daylilies brighten corners
with shades of sun. Pink
evening primrose tracks
the day like an array of tiny
radio telescopes. Delirious
bumblebees stagger through
clouds of spirea blossoms.

I find my own mind
at rest in buttery marigold
buttons, wishing I could sleep
there with the bees.