Harvest

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At the grocer a shiny seed packet beckons.
Zucchetta Serpente di Sicilia
“Serpent of Sicily”
promises sweeter zucchini.
I hedge my bets
and plant the new seeds
alongside my reliable heirlooms
the Tromboncino –
who each year gives
huge boa constrictor sized fruits -
green summer and orange winter delicacies
from the same generous vines.
But this year one Tromboncino dies.
Then another.
Though they are generally immune
from disease
I find an infestation –
the lethal squash vine borer!
Had the “serpents” brought on the disease?
They remain unaffected.
The remaining Tromboncino’s struggle on
producing a few fruits
while the serpents grow long tangled branches
blocking out other plants and
attaching themselves
to the struggling milkweed.
Do the bees not recognize the
strange white flowers?
Do they refuse to pollinate?
The flowers fall off.
Then small stumps appear
but fruit does not grow.
I jealously watch as
my neighbor’s vines grow heavy
with endless squash.
I had given him seeds the year before
and now he has a massive harvest.
But for me it is too late
to start over.
I watch the serpent crawl and crawl,
now crawling on my neighbor’s fence.
But still no fruit. Only mocking flowers.
The serpent crawls along the sidewalk
and into the lawn.
More and more flowers
but no fruit.
Our freezer waits for the accustomed
harvest but there is none.
Should I rip the serpents up?
They are messy
and unproductive.
I wait.
Perhaps the harvest will still come?
I examine the many flowers
and attempts at fruiting
and think of my own
artistic efforts.
It is also late
in the season
of my life.
I will wait and
be patient
with the mystery.
Perhaps the harvest will still come.