Orange Blossom Creeper

Orange Blossom Creeper

the orange blossom creeper
overhanging the front porch
harbours all asylum seekers
under, over, and within her church

as a child I crawled across
while she sagged and groaned,
shaking out a nest of cobras,
and a bunch of curly worms.

down the toilet I flushed cobras,
saw nesting birds still snug
while the sheltered floor below
was strewn with leaves and bugs

If you woke early enough
to suck sweet nectar from the source
of an unopened blossom-bud
you'd sip honey dew and orangade
and rob bees of their breakfast.