The Garden Thief

The morning star perched directly over the garden
while sweat beaded on my brow.
Desert Honeysuckles and Chinese Lanterns danced
at the vibrating touch of the thief.
Eighty pulses per second, it came and went
in the blink of an eye, then
back again – more. Its tapered bill
nuzzled safely inside the heart of the flowers.
My movements grew short, slight
so as not to disturb God’s blue-green masterpiece. But
as much as I wanted to observe it,
pollen struck up a plight.
Sneezes erupted, coughing ensued,
and the poor tiny creature –
shocked –
stopped searching for food.
Once chaos ceased, I glanced around.
My garden’s thief no longer could be found.