"On Deceit as Survival"--
Darwin could not believe an insect would
visit a blossom that had no reward
and insisted that the green-winged orchid must
withhold its nectar deep inside.
But he was deceived as well, since this orchid does not
offer nectar in its own Darwinian desire--
to attract then rid itself of the useful bee.
Still, others smell like feces or carrion
for the sort that prefers to lay eggs in such environs.
Yet another species of orchid resembles a female bumblebee,
ending in frustrated trysts, or appears to be two fractious
males, which also attracts-- no surprise--
a third male curious enough to join the fray.
What to make of highly evolved beauty, bent on deception
as survival--
liposuction, rejuvenated clitoris, plumped lips?
I plead with daughters to forget the enhanced buttocks
and rely on soap as fragrance.
But how can a mother instruct on deceit
when girls so readily flaunt thigh and thong
and when parking lots are replete with broken
fences and the preternatural buzz of the car alarm?