Changing the Guard

All day the heavy-hipped bees in their fuzzed knickers have gathered baskets of pollen; Now the hive gathers bees. The morning glories have furled their beach umbrellas into tight pleats. The ant swarms are being vacuumed down the small volcanoes of their nest holes. The bats begin to fidget, the garden snails rev the engines on their all-terrain vehicles, preparing to drag race among the peas. The owl tries his vibrato, and the mockingbird, who has sung all day (and the previous night) tries for his all-time record, all night again, among the stealthy odors of jasmine, and those of the neighborhood skunk, who is not really furious - just alert - but who announces, like a distant piccolo of scent, "Watch out, watch out, don't drive so fast. I'll mind my business. You mind yours."