“Look. Look here. These are Ophrys sphegodes.
They are waiting for bees, pretending they
are keen to please, sending their chemical
cocktail out on the breeze. It’s an act of
sexual deceit. Brazen. Beyond mere
flirtation. None of your blushing maiden.
The full come-on. Hits the spot. Shall we watch?”
…
“Here comes Andrena nigroaenea,
all ardour and impatience. Needing to
mate. Can’t wait. False pheromones have done the
trick. Afraid of rivals he needs to be quick.
He grabs the sought-for prize in brutish haste.
He hasn’t a moment to waste. But it
all goes sour, his would-be mate a flower.
Ecstacy resists. Romeo desists.
He leaves to persist elsewhere. Still on fire.
But apart from the weight of unsated
desire, he carries unregistered freight!
Made to look a fool in a fake tryst, our
male is now an unwitting pollen mule,
outwitted by an orchid. Shall we go?”
Glenn Hubbard lives in Madrid and has been writing poetry since 2012. He has had around 70 poems published in digital and printed magazines. Nevertheless, something prevents him from completely accepting the idea that he is able to write poems that people enjoy. But it seems he can.
Bindweed Magazine 