Bee Watching Poem by Ronald Shields

I said yes in April
when you wanted to
go to Arizona to find
cactus flowers and
Joshua trees. The
crocuses had just
opened their mouths
to the first Yes! of
Spring -some years
it is the only sign of
Spring I recognize.

We learned some things
that Spring in the Mojave.
Joshua trees can
live a thousand years.
The cactus flower can stay
hidden until it is ready
to bear fruit. Female
bees search ghost flowers
for ghostly nectar. The nectar
is in its cousin, called blazing
star. It is a game the flowers
play, and the bees are confused,
but industrious enough to
beat the odds,
eventually.

We learned some things
that Spring; hope from
the crocus, maybe patience
from the Joshua trees, and
reticence from the cactus.
As for the ghost flower, we
already know enough about
deception. The bees? They
taught us to look for nectar
in every thing we see.