“Science Facts: Vanilla from Madagascar”

The Conquistadors tore a hole into
paradise and saw paradise and touched
paradise and tasted paradise and,

commanded by God, meant to take

it all back to their gray castles. The
vanilla bean born of the vanilla
orchid, traveled back to Spain, then all

over the world. But stubbornly refused

to produce beans- when grown
anywhere, but home- the American
jungle. This is how things were for

hundreds of years- the jungles

of Madagascar filled with barren
orchids. Can you guess why? The jungle
people knew the whole time- there

was a small black bee required. There

was a small black bee who knew
the whole time- the vanilla orchid
has a membrane deep in its body, that

must be broken, for the bloom to be

pollinated- for the beans to be made.
When the secret got out, the peasants
of island Africa found themselves,

early and fresh, at a new industry.

Waking in the morning, walking into
the jungle, climbing and crawling to
the orchids, and gently piercing each

bloom, with a tiny bamboo prick.

This poem is but a fragrance- a show.
Beans will come only if you act.
There is no mystery: I must be broken.

And that is where we get vanilla.