On the verge

Jerzy Opioła, "Oenothera macrocarpa," 2005

Oenothera scattered in St. Augustine: little
sunlit pools shining pistil and stamen at the
pollinators. A sweat bee, wearing such bright
green kandy metallic as was never seen in a
paint and body shop, flashes close by anthers,
dusting itself down to a powdery matte finish.
I play balance beam on the curb, pretending
I’m in the circus, trying to not crush stolons as
they reach past concrete towards asphalt; I’m
drunk on early spring, thinking of you, happy
to lose my footing more than once or twice.