NATURE Poem: Bee Balm by the Bedroom Window, by Matthew Duffy

I believe the salient stalk
of crimson bee balm
will sprout again in spring
and blossom in early summer

I believe the ruby-throated hummingbird
will remember and return
to the perennial in bloom

I believe that after all the petals fall
to the oak mulch below
the sparrows will feast on the seed head
before the snow falls

When the stalk is ragged, bent, and broken
layered in ice and snow,
it will shelter the dormant pollinators
waiting to crawl again
when the sun can shine
for more than a glimpse of the day

When I transplanted it outside the bedroom window
I hoped to enjoy the scarlet display
and ensuing visitors
with the company of my partner
on a bright summer morning

But all I see is a lone mourning dove
flying out of the neighborhood
of beige vinyl siding
single-family homes