Like Origami, Pollen Grains Fold Just So

What I want to know-is

who folds the pollen so

to sneak the grains into my nose

to make secretions flow?

What hellish beast has practiced

this manipulating skill

designed to swell my sinuses

and make me feel so ill?

It’s a dreadful joke of nature

when blossoms thrill our eyes

that pollen rides the air waves, too,

with an invisible surprise.

I sneeze, I cough, I tear, I itch,

I seek all remedies-

Claritin, Zyrtec, Benadryl-

but nothing seems to ease.

And now I read this morning's rag,

and learn it's micro-fiends

who bend and fold and crease the weed

to trigger histamines.

What devilish work of art is this?

What monsters work these crimes?

I know this must sound crazy…

But I read it in the Times.



Today's prompt was to use the day's news headlines for inspiration, without necessarily reading the article(s). The title of my poem,  "Like Origami, Pollen Grains Fold Just So" is a real headline in the New York Times.  Here's the link if you want to read the article and see a video of a folding pollen grain: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/science/27obpollen.html