apollo polination

winding tendrils

of vibrant green. leaves

checked & the dead pinched

daily. yellow flowers

worried & shaken

with electric toothbrush.

we water

wait.

lorikeets shriek

keenly from shadowed

gum trees. swallows click

& circle, their whips

twitching her leaves.

but despite our efforts

she won’t fruit

for months.

we wait

for when winter

breaks with light-

show storms. the gift

of springtime ruckus:

humid air & rain bathing

down to her roots.