Russian olives and honeysuckle

I was surprised, and delighted, to suddenly see the bushes and small trees of honeysuckle and Russian olive as shapes of countries as outlined on maps. . . .

* * *

Step outside into the syrup

of humidity and sweetness

run along the path through grasses

and rising goldenrod

and around the meadow

you can tour Russian olives and

honeysuckle blooming together

side by side like countries on maps

Here is a pentagonal olive bush France

there a zeppelin of Turkey floating

above two seas then

Paraguay and Uruguay small

and spaced just right easy to miss

the profile of Chad reclining

in white honeysuckle

under Niger’s rosy face and look here

a perfectly stylized Russia

in pink honeysuckle

bordering a broad Russian-olive

white-blooming replica of the United States

while we run and chase two chickens

who stay ahead frantically on the path though

they and we could so easily cross

the path’s edge and disappear

into each other and the ocean of grass