The Secret to Getting the Ants Off the Peonies

by CAITLIN GILDRIEN

The secret is that you can’t.
The secret is that the ants 
love the peonies
and the peonies love the ants
and though it is a myth
that they need each other, 
they do each support the other,
give each other over and over the gift
of themselves—nourishment,
safety, are these not the heart
of cherishing? Even if you think
you’ve shaken them all off,
one or two will emerge from between
the petals, shy and bewildered. 

The secret is to watch the ants
pace circles around the ever-
widening bloom on your kitchen table.
The secret is they will feast on what they love
until they die of loneliness. 

The secret is to lick them off.
They are as sweet as the nectar
your tongue cannot reach.